Malacañang believes the recent drop in President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s trust and approval ratings may be partly due to the spread of fake news, even as it downplayed the overall significance of the survey results.
At a press briefing on Monday, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro pointed out that the Pulse Asia survey only involved 2,400 respondents, a fraction of the country’s over 100 million population.
“So, sa 2,400 hindi naman po ito nagre-reflect ng sentimyento ng kabuuang more than 100 million people or Filipinos in the country,” Castro said. “Dahil nga nakita at nabanggit natin itong mga fake news, sumasalamin din po ito sa impluwensya ng mga fake news na nagkakalat.”
She cited a study mentioned by Reuters and conducted by an Israel-based disinformation intelligence firm, saying: “The level of coordinated disinformation seen in the Philippines was far above the typical 7% to 10% range of online conversation globally about highly sensitive or polarizing issues.”
Castro added that the administration is also looking into whether the survey respondents may not have received assistance from the government. “So, ang mga respondents ba na mga ito ay hindi nakakarating ang tulong ng gobyerno?” she asked.
Despite the survey results, Castro assured the public that the President will continue to carry out his duties. “At kung anuman po ang nagiging desisyon ng Pangulo at ng administrasyon… ipapatupad pa rin ng Pangulo, kung ano ang nasa batas at kung ano ang tama at hindi kung ano po ang sasabihin sa isang survey,” she said.
She also echoed Marcos’ stance on misinformation: “Basta ang direktiba po ng Pangulo, sawatain, tigilan ang fake news… dumadami po talaga ang fake news dito sa Pilipinas. So, hindi na po ito biro. Dapat po talaga itong bigyan ng pansin.”
The March 2025 Pulse Asia survey showed President Marcos’ approval rating fell from 42% in February to 25%, while his trust rating also dipped from 42% to 25%. In contrast, Vice President Sara Duterte’s approval rating climbed from 52% to 59%, with her trust rating rising from 53% to 61%.
