The trust and approval ratings of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. rose slightly, while Vice President Sara Duterte's counterpart numbers declined in September 2026, a survey of Pulse Asia Research Inc. showed Thursday.
The survey, conducted from September 17 to 24, 2026, found that Marcos' approval and trust ratings both climbed 1 percentage point to 30% and 29%, respectively. These were improvements compared to the previous survey conducted in July 2026.
As for Duterte, her approval rating slid 2 percentage points to 54%, while her trust rating decreased by 3 percentage points to 55%.
Overall, Duterte maintained the appreciation and trust of most adult Filipinos.
"Small majorities continue to approve of the Vice-President's performance (54%) and trust her (55%) while near majorities are critical of the President's work (49%) and express distrust in him (48%)," Pulse Asia reported.
Courtesy: Pulse Asia
Nearly half of Filipino adults, or 48%, were found to distrust Marcos. Only 29% showed big trust in him, while 22% were undecided.
Trust in the President was highest in Balance Luzon (43%), and among Class ABC (33%) and Class D (30%). However, distrust was evident in Mindanao (66%) and Visayas (60%), as well as those in Class E (55%).
On the other hand, Duterte enjoyed the most trust from adults at 55%, with 27% having small or no trust at all, and 19% being unsure.
The vice president had the most trust in Mindanao (94%) and among Class E (69%). Her distrust was highest in the National Capital Region (41%) and among Class D (28%) and Class ABC (27%).
Compared to July 2026, the September 2026 survey showed that Marcos' disapproval rating slightly dipped by 3 percentage points.
Notably, Pulse Asia's survey showed that from July 2026, Marcos experienced a drop in his distrust ratings in Mindanao (-11 percentage points) and Class ABC (-16 percentage points) in September 2026.
The ambivalence toward the President's trustworthiness also became more manifest in Mindanao (+11 percentage points).
On the other hand, Duterte had a 3-percentage point decrease in trust ratings, and no changes in distrust ratings.
Pulse Asia said the only significant change in the vice president's trustworthiness figures was the decline in trust in Class D by losing 5 percentage points.
Courtesy: Pulse Asia
Performance ratings
When it comes to performance, the survey showed that more Filipinos (49%) disapproved of the work done by Marcos in the past quarter, as compared to those who approved it at 30%. There were 21% who were also undecided.
The majority, meanwhile, continued to appreciate Duterte's work (54%), as compared to 27% who disapproved and 18% who are ambivalent.
Approval of the President's performance was highest in Balance Luzon (42%) and among Class ABC (37%), while that of the Vice President was highest in Mindanao (91%) and Class E (68%).
In Class ABC, approval for Marcos’ performance became more marked with +17 percentage points, while his disapproval eased by -19 percentage points. Disapproval for the President’s work was also more evident in Class E with +14 percentage points.
As for the Vice President, indecision as to approving or disapproving her performance was more notable (+5 percentage points).
The survey used face-to-face interviews, with a sample of 2,400 adults 18 years old and above.
It has a ± 2% error margin at 95% confidence level, and has ± 4% error margin at 95% confidence level specifically for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. — VDV, GMA News