MANILA: The trust ratings of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Vice President Sara Duterte both declined, according to a survey from the Social Weather Stations.
Commissioned and published by think tank Stratbase on Tuesday (Oct 14), the SWS survey of 1,200 adult respondents was conducted from Sept 24 to 30.
The survey came days after the massive and simultaneous Sept 21 anti-corruption protests nationwide, which were triggered by a multi-billion-peso corruption scandal involving flood control projects.
Marcos posted a trust rating of 43 per cent, while 36 per cent of respondents said they have “little trust” in him, and 21 per cent were “undecided.”
This trust rating was down slightly from 48 per cent in June 2025.
On the other hand, Duterte’s trust rating is 53 per cent, while 28 per cent of respondents have “little trust” in her, and 18 per cent were undecided.
Her trust rating in June 2025 was at 61 per cent.
Dindo Manhit, president of the Stratbase Group, said the decline of Marcos and Duterte ratings reflects “a shifting public mood.”
“Filipinos are reassessing their confidence in the country’s top leaders, with both experiencing dips in trust, though the vice president’s decline is more significant,” Manhit said in a statement.
For him, these numbers reflect a “maturing” electorate and serve as a reminder that how the government delivers results matters.
“When people see decisive, transparent action on the issues affecting their daily lives, confidence follows,” Manhit said. “When they don’t, it erodes—no matter how popular the leader once was.”
“This reflects a maturing public that evaluates leaders more on performance than personality,” he concluded. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
