MANILA, Philippines — For the first time, President Marcos Jr. has reported higher trust and performance ratings than Vice President Sara Duterte, a survey by research firm Octa Research showed Tuesday.
Octa Research’s second quarter Tugon ng Masa (TNM) Survey revealed that 71 percent of adult Filipinos now trust Marcos, marking a notable two percent increase from the 69 percent reported in the first quarter.
In contrast, Duterte’s trust rating has dropped to 65 percent, a three percent decline from 68 percent.
About 68 percent of adult Filipinos remain satisfied with Marcos’ performance, a three percent increase from the previous quarter’s 65 percent, while in contrast, Duterte’s performance rating fell to 60 percent, a four-point slip from 64 percent last quarter.
Based on the previous ratings, it’s always Vice President Duterte who leads the trust and performance ratings.
The survey, conducted from June 30 to July 5 with 1,200 respondents nationwide and a margin of error of +/-3 percent to determine the public’s trust and performance ratings of top officials in the country. The survey coincided with the Philippines receiving $500 million in military aid from the United States to enhance regional defense and security amid increasing tensions in the West Philippine Sea and maritime attacks from China.
During this period, Duterte faced controversies over rumors of a Senate run, which she denied, and rejected claims that she was leading the opposition against the Marcos administration.
“This is the first time President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has registered a higher trust and performance rating than Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio based on TNM surveys in the last three years,” OCTA said.
“It must be noted that the VP Duterte trust and performance ratings continue to trend downward for the second straight quarter in 2024,” it said.
Data also said that Marcos’ trust score rose by eight percent, largely due to a boost in Mindanao, Duterte’s stronghold. His highest trust rating is in Balance Luzon at 80 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 70 percent and the Visayas at 69 percent.
Trust and approval ratings by socio-economic classes
According to the survey, Marcos’ trust rating increased by 11 percentage points among adult Filipinos in Classes ABC (71 percent), followed by Classes D (68 percent) and E (64 percent).
Duterte’s trust score remained highest in Mindanao, rising by nine percentage points to 95 percent. However, her trust rating fell by four percentage points in Balance Luzon (52 percent) and by three percentage points in the Visayas (66 percent). In Metro Manila, her trust score was 60 percent.
Duterte had the highest trust rating in Class E, despite a four-point drop to 64 percent, followed by Class D (65 percent) and Class ABC (64 percent).
