Vice President Sara Duterte continues to outpace President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in public approval and trust ratings, according to recent surveys.
A Pulse Asia survey conducted in December 2025 found that Marcos Jr. received a 34% approval rating and 32% trust rating, while nearly half of the respondents expressed disapproval and distrust. Sara Duterte, despite facing a plunder complaint over the use of confidential funds, recorded higher figures with 56% approval and 54% trust.
Marcos Jr.’s ratings have shown little recovery since September 2025, when allegations surrounding ghost and incomplete flood control projects intensified. The scandal, estimated to involve 79 billion Pesos in losses over nearly a decade, has implicated public works officials, contractors, and political allies, though arrests have so far been limited to lower-level figures.
Marcos Jr. registered his weakest support in Mindanao and the Visayas, as well as among the poorest Filipinos. Duterte, by contrast, enjoyed overwhelming approval in Mindanao and maintained majority trust among lower-income groups, even as her support softened slightly among the poorest class.
Malacañang downplayed the survey results, with Palace press officer Claire Castro saying the President remains unfazed, arguing that his decision to investigate anomalous flood control projects was necessary even if politically costly.
Political observers say Duterte’s resilience has strengthened perceptions of her as the frontrunner for the presidency, especially as no clear successor has emerged from the Marcos Jr.’s camp.
Meanwhile, a separate Pulse Asia survey shows that a majority of Filipinos support the immediate passage of an anti-dynasty law, though agreement is weakest in Mindanao. Despite constitutional provisions banning political dynasties, Congress has yet to pass an enabling law, and critics note that most proposed bills are authored by dynastic politicians themselves.
Reinforcing calls for change, a coalition of reform-minded public officials, academics, and citizens, including Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, has launched a renewed push for better anti-dynasty legislation, citing the flood control scandal as evidence of systemic corruption linked to political families.
The coalition called for a citizen-led national dialogue on political dynasties and urged various networks and stakeholders to come together to develop a unified public stance on the issue, aiming at strengthening a democracy that serves the broader population rather than a select few.
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