- Pulse Asia and SWS data reflects similar findings
By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – Nearly half of Filipinos expressed dissatisfaction with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s performance in the final quarter of the year. At the same time, Vice President Sara Duterte continued to post majority approval and trust ratings, according to a year-end survey by Pulse Asia on Tuesday, December 30.
The December poll showed that 48 percent of adult Filipinos rated Marcos’ performance negatively, compared with 34 percent who said they approved of his work. About 18 percent said they were undecided.
In contrast, Duterte received a favorable performance rating from 56 percent of respondents, while 24 percent expressed disapproval. Around one in five, or 20 percent, remained undecided.
Trust ratings followed a similar pattern. The survey found that 47 percent of Filipinos stated they did not trust Marcos, while 32percent expressed trust in him. The remaining 21 percent were unsure.
Duterte, meanwhile, was trusted by 54 percent of adult Filipinos, while 24 percent said they distrusted her. About 22 percent were undecided.
Pulse Asia noted that both leaders’ approval and trust figures were “essentially unchanged” compared with the results of its September 2025 survey.
A separate survey conducted by Social Weather Stations toward the end of 2025 showed comparable results for both officials.
The release of the surveys came amid expanding investigations into an alleged flood control corruption scheme that has drawn scrutiny over the Marcos administration and the broader government bureaucracy.
On national issues, the Pulse Asia poll indicated that the top concern of Filipinos in December remained controlling inflation, cited by 59 percent of respondents.
This was followed by efforts to combat corruption in government, at 48 percent, and an increase in workers’ wages, at 39 percent. These concerns have consistently ranked as the most urgent since September 2025.
The survey results by Pulse Asia reaffirmed what the Social Weather Station had earlier reported showing Marcos net trust rating at -8 in NCR, +18 in Balance Luzon, -7 in Visayas and -37 in Mindanao. In the same SWS survey results VP Sara enjoys Net Trust rating percentages of +2 in NCR, +12 in Balance Luzon, +43 in Visayas and +74 in Mindanao.
Other pressing issues identified include reducing poverty (22%), generating jobs (19%), addressing criminality (19%), curbing the illegal drug trade (18%), ensuring fair enforcement of the law (13%), and protecting the environment (10%).
At the bottom of the list of urgent concerns were the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (3%), defense of Philippine territory (2%), and preparedness against terrorism (1%).
The survey also assessed public approval of government performance across specific areas. The administration received its lowest approval score for efforts to control inflation, with only 16 percent expressing satisfaction.
Its highest approval rating was recorded in the protection of overseas Filipino workers, at 58 percent.
Near-majority levels of approval were also noted for the government’s actions in defending national territorial integrity, at 43%, and in responding to areas affected by natural disasters, at 46%.
