President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s approval and trust ratings declined in the latest Pulse Asia survey, while Vice President Sara Duterte maintained majority public support, as Filipinos continued to cite inflation and other economic issues as the country's most pressing concerns.
The nationwide Ulat ng Bayan survey, conducted from June 28 to July 3 and 6 among 2,400 Filipino adults, found that Marcos received a 29% approval rating and a 28% trust rating, both down seven percentage points from the previous survey. Half of respondents disapproved of his performance, while 51% said they did not trust the President.
In contrast, Duterte posted a 56% approval rating and a 58% trust rating, with her numbers remaining largely stable despite her ongoing impeachment trial.
Inflation, Corruption Drive Public Sentiment
The survey suggests that public sentiment is being shaped largely by economic concerns, with inflation remaining the issue Filipinos want the government to address the most.
Nearly six in 10 respondents, or 57%, identified controlling inflation as the country's most urgent concern. Fighting corruption ranked second at 43%, followed by increasing workers' pay at 36%.
Other top concerns included reducing poverty (26%), fighting criminality (22%), addressing illegal drugs (19%), and creating more jobs (15%). In Metro Manila, corruption surpassed inflation as the leading concern, while inflation remained the top priority across most other regions and socioeconomic groups.
Government Gets Poor Marks on Key Issues
The survey also found that the Marcos administration failed to obtain majority approval in any of the 19 national issues evaluated, particularly on the same concerns that Filipinos identified as their highest priorities.
The administration received its lowest performance rating on controlling inflation, where 77% expressed disapproval. Majorities also gave negative ratings for the government's handling of illegal drugs (70%), corruption (68%), poverty (61%), fuel prices (59%), criminality (56%), taxes (54%), and involuntary hunger (53%).
While the administration fared relatively better in protecting overseas Filipino workers and responding to calamity-hit areas, these issues also failed to receive majority approval. The findings underscore how persistent concerns over the cost of living and governance continue to shape public perception of the administration's performance.
