Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Chalssea Kate Echegoyen

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17845303259021766745791208viber_image_2025-12-26_17-58-00-887 (5).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.&#x27;s approval and trust ratings declined further in the latest Pulse Asia survey, while Vice President Sara Duterte maintained majority public support despite facing an impeachment trial. <em>PCO/Facebook and Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.&#x27;s approval and trust ratings declined further in the latest Pulse Asia survey, while Vice President Sara Duterte maintained majority public support despite facing an impeachment trial.</p><p>The July 2026 Ulat ng Bayan survey, released Monday, found that half of Filipinos now disapprove of Marcos&#x27; performance, while only 29 percent approve and 21 percent remain undecided. Compared with Pulse Asia&#x27;s March survey, the President&#x27;s approval rating fell by 7 percentage points, while his disapproval rating rose to 50 percent. </p><p>Marcos&#x27; trust rating also declined to 28 percent, down from 35 percent in March. At the same time, a majority of respondents, 51 percent, said they distrusted the President, the highest distrust rating he has received in the firm&#x27;s quarterly survey this year. </p><p>By contrast, Duterte&#x27;s standing remained largely unchanged despite months of political uncertainty surrounding her impeachment case.</p><p>Pulse Asia said 56 percent of respondents approved of the vice president&#x27;s performance, while 58 percent said they trusted her. Her disapproval and distrust ratings stood at 29 percent and 27 percent, respectively, figures the polling firm described as &quot;essentially unchanged&quot; from March. </p><p>The nationwide survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews from June 28 to July 3 and July 6.</p><p>Among the events cited by Pulse Asia were the preparations for Duterte&#x27;s impeachment trial, the Senate leadership change, the arrests of Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada in separate corruption cases, continuing investigations into the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, the government&#x27;s downward revision of its economic growth target, the World Bank&#x27;s upgrade of the Philippines to upper-middle-income status, and the P85 wage increase for Metro Manila workers. </p><p>The survey period also coincided with rising oil prices due to renewed tensions in the Middle East and the aftermath of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao in June. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>REGIONAL DIVIDE PERSISTS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The survey also highlighted a sharp regional divide in public opinion.</p><p>Marcos failed to obtain majority approval in any major geographic area. His approval rating was highest in the rest of Luzon at 40 percent, while it dropped to 24 percent in the Visayas and only 6 percent in Mindanao.</p><p>Conversely, disapproval of the President reached 79 percent in Mindanao and 53 percent in the Visayas, compared with 43 percent in Metro Manila. </p><p>Duterte, meanwhile, continued to dominate in areas considered her political bailiwick.</p><p>She posted 61 percent approval in the Visayas and an overwhelming 89 percent approval in Mindanao. Her trust ratings were even higher, reaching 65 percent in the Visayas and 95 percent in Mindanao. In Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, however, public opinion toward the vice president was nearly evenly divided. </p><p>Pulse Asia noted that while Duterte&#x27;s national ratings remained stable between March and July, Marcos experienced a 7-point decline in both approval and trust, accompanied by corresponding increases in his disapproval and distrust ratings. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>INFLATION STILL BIGGEST CONCERN </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The latest survey showed that economic issues continue to dominate public concerns.</p><p>Nearly six in 10 Filipinos (57 percent) said controlling inflation should be the Marcos administration&#x27;s most urgent priority.</p><p>Inflation has consistently ranked as the country&#x27;s top concern in recent Pulse Asia surveys, reflecting the continued burden of rising food and household prices despite easing headline inflation in recent months. </p><p>The second most urgent concern cited by respondents was fighting corruption in government (43 percent), followed by increasing workers&#x27; pay (36 percent), reducing poverty (26 percent), and fighting criminality (22 percent).</p><p>Other concerns included illegal drugs (19 percent), job creation (15 percent), lowering fuel prices amid the Middle East conflict (13 percent), promoting peace (11 percent), addressing involuntary hunger (11 percent), and enforcing the rule of law (11 percent). </p><p>Pulse Asia also noted shifts in public priorities since March. Concern over poverty and criminality both increased by 5 percentage points, while concern over job creation declined by six points and assistance to farmers fell by five points. </p><p>Metro Manila stood out as the only region where corruption (56 percent) slightly edged inflation (55 percent) as the most pressing issue. In the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, inflation remained the top concern. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>POOR RATINGS ON ISSUES</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The survey likewise found that the Marcos administration failed to obtain majority approval on any of the 19 national issues on which respondents were asked to evaluate government performance.</p><p>Its weakest performance rating was on controlling inflation, with 77 percent of respondents expressing disapproval.</p><p>Large majorities also disapproved of the administration&#x27;s performance in fighting illegal drugs (70 percent), combating corruption (68 percent), reducing poverty (61 percent), lowering fuel prices (59 percent), and fighting criminality (56 percent). More respondents also disapproved than approved of the government&#x27;s handling of workers&#x27; wages, peace and order, and job generation. </p><p>The administration received its highest approval ratings on protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (46 percent) and responding to calamity-hit areas (42 percent), although neither issue garnered majority support. Public opinion was also almost evenly split on the government&#x27;s efforts to defend Philippine territory, with 34 percent approving and an equal percentage disapproving. </p><p>Pulse Asia interviewed 2,400 adults nationwide using face-to-face interviews. The survey has a ±2 percentage-point margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level, while results for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao each carry a ±4 percentage-point margin of error.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/3/16/pulse-asia-approval-ratings-marcos-at-36-pct-duterte-at-55-pct-0938">Pulse Asia approval ratings: Marcos at 36; Duterte at 55</a></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0KhffS4OZ10?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s approval and trust ratings declined further in the latest Pulse Asia survey, while Vice President Sara Duterte maintained majority public support despite facing an impeachment trial.</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s approval and trust ratings declined further in the latest Pulse Asia survey, while Vice President Sara Duterte maintained majority public support despite facing an impeachment trial.

Marcos approval, trust ratings decline as Sara Duterte keeps majority support—Pulse Asia

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Marcos approval, trust ratings decline as Sara Duterte keeps majority support—Pulse Asia

Chalssea Kate Echegoyen,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 20, 2026 02:59 PM PHT

|

Updated July 20, 2026 03:03 PM PHT

Read More:

Pulse Asia

Survey

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Vice President Sara Duterte

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.