The Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to command strong public confidence across income groups and regions, according to a new poll released by OCTA Research.
The Tugon ng Masa survey, conducted March 19–25, 2026 with 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, found that 70 percent of adult Filipinos expressed satisfaction with the AFP’s performance, against 14 percent who were dissatisfied, yielding a net performance rating of +56.
Regionally, Visayas posted the highest satisfaction at 73 percent, followed by Balanced Luzon at 70 percent. Among socioeconomic classes, Class E respondents recorded the highest satisfaction rate at 75 percent.
On the question of trust, 72 percent of Filipinos said they trusted the AFP while 11 percent did not, producing a net trust rating of +61. Trust was strongest in Visayas at 75 percent, and Class E again led all income brackets at 77 percent.
OCTA said the findings point to sustained institutional legitimacy for the military. “The consistently high trust and performance ratings reflect strong public recognition of the AFP’s role in national defense, territorial security, disaster response, and public service,” the pollster said.
The survey results span multiple fronts on which the AFP operates, with OCTA noting that public confidence held broadly across both geographic regions and socioeconomic classes.
