Corruption issues hound Marcos, Duterte in Pulse Asia poll
Corruption remained the primary factor influencing the public’s trust or distrust of President Marcos while Vice President Sara Duterte enjoyed the trust of most survey respondents because of her supposed ability to govern despite her alleged involvement in corrupt activities, according to the latest survey by Pulse Asia.
The First Quarter 2026 Ulat ng Bayan national survey conducted from Feb. 27 to March 2 with 1,200 respondents found that 35 percent of them trust the President while 44 percent distrust him and 21 percent remain undecided.
On the other hand, 54 percent of Filipinos expressed trust in the Vice President, 26 percent distrust her and 20 percent remain undecided.
Among those who trust Mr. Marcos, the top reason was his efforts to fight government corruption (28.6 percent). Other frequently cited reasons included his assistance to calamity-hit areas and victims (12.4 percent), the perceived success of his administration’s programs in improving Filipinos’ lives (10.9 percent), and his efforts to help farmers (9.9 percent).
By area, the President’s efforts to fight corruption in the government was the top reason for the respondents’ trust in him: 37.1 percent in Metro Manila and 29.4 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila. Additionally, the most cited reason in the Visayas (30.2 percent) and Mindanao (25.7 percent) was the improvement in the lives of Filipinos because of his administration’s programs.
Divergent opinions
Those who showed a negative opinion of his trustworthiness were divided in terms of their reasons: failure to fight corruption (16.7 percent), failure to fulfill his promises (15.3 percent), failure to perform his duties (13.8 percent), failure to control the prices of goods (12.3 percent), alleged involvement in corrupt activities (12.0 percent), and failure to fight criminality (10.1 percent).
By area, the President’s alleged involvement in corrupt activities was the most cited reason for distrust in Metro Manila (20.5 percent), while his failure to fight corruption was the leading reason in Luzon outside Metro Manila (29 percent). In the Visayas, the most common reason cited for distrusting the President was his inability to hold accountable those involved in corrupt activities (22 percent). In Mindanao, his failure to perform his duties was the top reason (21.4 percent).
On the other hand, the leading reasons for those who viewed positively Vice President Sara Duterte’s trustworthiness cited her capability to govern (12.8 percent), being pro-poor (12.7 percent), being courageous (12.4 percent), being helpful (9.1 percent), having strong convictions (9.0 percent), and quick response to calamities (7.9 percent).
By area, their trust in Duterte was attributed to different qualities. In Metro Manila, the top reason was her perceived capability as a leader (26.4 percent). In Luzon outside Metro Manila, it was her being pro-poor (18.7 percent). In the Visayas, her being courageous was the primary reason (18.6 percent), while in Mindanao, respondents cited her courage and helpfulness (both at 13.9 percent).
Different qualities
As for those who distrust her, their primary reason was her alleged involvement in corrupt activities, cited both nationwide (51.5 percent) and across all areas (Metro Manila at 51.8 percent, Luzon outside Metro Manila at 47.9 percent, Visayas at 73.3 percent, and Mindanao at 90.7 percent.
Other reasons included the threats she has made against the administration and her critics (21.4 percent nationwide), use of vulgar language or rudeness (5.4 percent), lack of accomplishments (5.1 percent), and frequent international trips (4.5 percent).
Pulse Asia said the survey had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.8 percent at the 95 percent confidence level, and plus-or-minus 5.7 percent for Metro Manila, Luzon outside Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
