Bribery continues to be viewed as the most prevalent form of corruption in the Philippines, with nearly three out of four adult Filipinos identifying it as the most common corrupt practice in government, based on the latest nationwide survey released by Octa Research.
The results were drawn from the fourth quarter 2025 Tugon ng Masa survey on public perceptions of corruption, which was conducted from December 3 to 11, 2025 through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents nationwide. The poll was commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman and has a margin of error of ±3 percent at the national level.
According to the survey, 73 percent of adult Filipinos cited bribery as the most common form of corruption. This was followed by irregularities in the use of public funds at 66 percent, vote buying at 64 percent, and slow justice at 54 percent.
Octa Research said the same four issues were repeatedly identified across different regions and income brackets, suggesting that many Filipinos see corruption as a broad governance problem rather than one confined to specific areas.
The survey also noted variations in how respondents ranked other corruption concerns depending on their location. In several areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, vote buying was identified as the second most commonly cited issue, highlighting ongoing concerns over electoral practices.
In other regions, irregularities involving public funds ranked higher, reflecting local anxieties about government spending, procurement processes, and fiscal accountability.
