Vice President Sara Duterte has recorded the weakest approval and trust numbers of her tenure, according to OCTA Research polling that captured public opinion just as her impeachment proceedings got underway on July 6.
The pollster described the downturn as unusual. Her trust and performance ratings have fallen below majority level together for only the second time in the available series – the first being November 2024, when both stood at 49 percent, OCTA noted. Analysts at the firm pointed to one dominant cause: “That her ratings crossed below majority in precisely the quarter this trial began, and by a wider margin than the previous such crossing in November 2024, makes the trial and its surrounding media environment the most direct and best-supported explanation among the factors considered here.”
On performance, 45 percent of respondents voiced satisfaction with the Vice President, a five-point slide from the 50 percent she held in March 2026. Dissatisfaction climbed from 28 to 36 percent, while the share of undecided respondents narrowed slightly to 19 percent. OCTA identified this as her poorest showing since she took office in 2022, undercutting the 29 percent floor she hit in November 2024.
Her standing on trust moved in the same direction, sliding eight points to 47 percent from 55 percent in March. Distrust rose to 33 percent from 26 percent, with the undecided bloc essentially flat at 20 percent.
Regional breakdowns showed the sharpest erosion in the country’s political center. Approval in Metro Manila fell from 40 to 28 percent, and the rest of Luzon dropped from 40 to 27 percent. The Visayas softened more modestly, easing four points to 58 percent. Mindanao, long her stronghold, barely budged, slipping a single point to 89 percent.
Malacañang framed the numbers as a verdict on the Vice President’s conduct, arguing she has offered criticism rather than cooperation. “Filipinos should see who is really working and who is not doing anything but discredit. The lower rating of VP Sara is a reflection of the truth that she is not helping the government solve issues like inflation and higher fuel prices. She only discredits but does not offer solutions,” said Palace press officer Claire Castro.
President Marcos fared better in the same poll, though he too lost ground. His performance rating stood at 47 percent, down eight points from 55 percent in March, while his trust figure reached 49 percent, a five-point decline from 54 percent. Dissatisfaction with his performance widened from 26 to 33 percent, and his distrust reading edged up from 30 to 32 percent.
The second-quarter survey drew on 1,200 respondents and carried a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, with fieldwork running from July 4 to 11.
