October 15, 2025
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 night, the SWS survey of 1,200 adult respondents was conducted from September 24 to 30.
The survey came days after the massive and simultaneous September 21 anti-corruption protests nationwide, which were triggered by a multi-billion-peso corruption scandal involving flood control projects.
READ: Most Filipinos mad, fearful due to PH corruption woes — Octa
Marcos posted a trust rating of 43 percent, while 36 percent of respondents said they have “little trust” in him, and 21 percent were “undecided.”
This trust rating was down slightly from 48 percent in June 2025.
On the other hand, Duterte’s trust rating is 53 percent, while 28 percent of respondents have “little trust” in her, and 18 percent were undecided.
Her trust rating in June 2025 was at 61 percent.
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.