Palace: 3 surveys show better Marcos ratings

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval ratings improved dramatically, possibly his best score since 2022, Malacañang said on Sunday, citing three separate surveys.

The Palace cited the latest survey by Tangere, which followed the ones conducted by pollsters Publicus and Octa. All three similarly showed an approval rating of around 60 percent of respondents nationwide since March.

In the third and latest survey, Malacañang said Marcos received a 61.8 percent satisfaction rating from 1,500 respondents from May 8 to May 9, a significant statistical increase of 10 percent.

READ: Marcos: Survey results inspire me to work harder

“The increase is driven by respondents belonging to socio-economic class D and E (lower income class) and those living in rural areas. The increase can be attributed primarily to the initial rollout of the P20 rice promised during the campaign period,” Tangere said.

While the President enjoyed a satisfaction rating of 61.8 percent, Vice President Sara Duterte’s approval rating of 48.4 percent was only better than that of the Supreme Court, with 45.2 percent.

The House of Representatives received a satisfaction rating of 55.75 percent, while the Senate gained the approval of 49.5 percent.

The Tangere survey findings reflected the results of the “Tugon ng Masa” poll of Octa Research, conducted in April, which reported that the President received a trust rating of 60 percent and a performance rating of 59 percent in a noncommissioned survey.

On Thursday, Marcos spoke of the third survey by Publicus Asia, a data analytics firm founded by Malou Tuiquia and Lilibeth Amatong, during an event of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Makati City.

The survey of Publicus, which has repeatedly reported on Marcos' plunging approval ratings since 2023, showed the President’s approval rating increasing from 60 percent to 62 percent.

“These kinds of results show that we are becoming united and that we understand each other,” the President told reporters when asked about the Publicus survey.

Visible work

The Palace said that Marcos noted the administration’s thrust is improving the economy by attracting more investors and by showing the world that the Philippines is ready for business.

“I think that people understand that. Even if we haven’t fulfilled it entirely, maybe everyone can see what the government is doing,” the President said in Filipino.

The government is also looking at the social side as a result of those endeavors, the President said, noting the country can only afford a large social program if it has a robust business side that gives returns.

“So, it’s all connected. Not only for the mainstream but also for those who sometimes fall through the cracks,” he added, referring to marginalized sectors, like the elderly, the young, and the sick.

The President’s cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez, also lauded the Tangere survey, which found that 55.75 percent of respondents were satisfied with the performance of the House of Representatives under the Speaker’s leadership.

“This is a vote of confidence from our people. It tells us that the House of the People is delivering real results—affordable rice, housing for the poor, irrigation for farmers, better health care for children,” Romualdez said.

The head of the chamber also highlighted the importance of legislative-executive alignment in achieving sustained public satisfaction.

“We are aligned in building a ‘Bagong Pilipinas,’” the Speaker said. “This unity of purpose is key to the steady progress we are seeing across all branches of government.”

But he pointed out that while the survey numbers were encouraging, the real measure of performance lay in tangible reforms and the impact of laws passed on the everyday lives of Filipinos.

“Surveys come and go, but public service must remain consistent. Our focus is not popularity—it is performance,” he said. /cb/abc

(2025/05/12-05:40)