President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval ratings saw a steep decline, while Vice President Sara Duterte gained ground, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey released Wednesday.
Conducted in late March with 2,400 respondents, the poll showed that only 25% of Filipinos approved of Marcos’ performance, marking a significant 17-point drop from 42% in February. Over half—53%—disapproved of his leadership, while 25% were undecided.
Duterte, on the other hand, was the only national official who registered an uptick in support. Her approval rating rose to 59% in March from 52% in February. Pulse Asia also noted a drop in her disapproval score—from 26% to 16%.
Senate President Francis Escudero saw his approval fall by 8 points to 39%, while House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s rating remained at 14%. However, Romualdez’s disapproval surged 14 points to 54%.
In terms of trust, Duterte emerged as the most trusted among the four, with 61% expressing confidence in her. In contrast, 54% said they distrusted Marcos. Romualdez recorded the highest distrust rating at 57%, while 41% of respondents were uncertain about Escudero.
The survey also highlighted that inflation remains the top national concern for 69% of Filipinos. Other urgent issues include low wages (36%), corruption (28%), criminality (28%), and poverty (27%).
When rating the administration’s performance on these matters, majorities expressed dissatisfaction: 79% disapproved of the government’s efforts to control inflation, 53% disapproved of anti-corruption measures, and 48% each disapproved of efforts to reduce poverty and increase wages.
The only areas that received majority approval were support for OFWs and disaster response, both at 51%.
