For the third consecutive polling period, Senator Bam Aquino has come out as the country’s most positively regarded lawmaker, according to the PAHAYAG 2026 Second Quarter Survey conducted by PUBLiCUS Asia.
The senator drew a 57 percent net favorable score in the poll, which drew responses from 1,509 registered voters. His 19 percent unfavorable reading was the lowest recorded among senators, producing a net gap of +37—the widest margin anyone in the survey achieved. As reported by the Manila Times, Aquino led the favorability rankings ahead of Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan, while Jinggoy Estrada and Ronald dela Rosa carried the heaviest unfavorable numbers.
Independence of judgment figured prominently in how voters described him. Six in ten respondents characterized Aquino as an independent-minded legislator. That reputation has played out in his conduct as a senator-judge in the ongoing impeachment proceedings, where he pressed for openness regarding the evidence submitted by both the prosecution and the defense panels. He has also raised questions about the sluggish disbursement of a P67-billion allocation earmarked for classroom construction.
Respondents pointed to two accomplishments above all others when explaining their views: his role in enacting the Free College Law, cited by 30 percent, and his push to expand funding for public schooling, noted by 23 percent. Much of that work traces to his committee stewardship over basic education, through which he became instrumental in securing a P1.34-trillion education allocation—the largest in the nation’s history—within the proposed 2026 national budget.
That package sets aside P67.9 billion to build 25,000 classrooms, a down payment against a shortfall estimated at 166,000 rooms nationwide, along with P37 billion to sustain the Free College Law under Republic Act 10931. Aquino is separately advancing the proposed School Safety Act, which seeks to strengthen protections against violence and bullying on campuses.
His economic agenda centers on relief for wage earners and the middle class. He is calling for a temporary halt to the excise tax on petroleum products and a reduction of the value-added tax on goods and services, bringing it down from 12 percent to 10 percent. Aquino has likewise pledged support for micro, small, and medium enterprises, promising to help such businesses reach wider markets and generate employment.
The senator’s standing has been consistent across earlier polls, with net favorable readings of 59 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and 54 percent at the close of 2025, each paired with the lowest unfavorable figures in those rounds at 17 percent and 22 percent. PUBLiCUS Asia was also the only firm to correctly forecast his second-place finish in the 2025 senatorial race.
