PBBM holds majority approval, trust in Q3: OCTA

By Filane Mikee Cervantes, Philippine News Agency

The survey, conducted from Sept. 4 to 7, showed that 69 percent of the respondents expressed their trust in the President, a slight two-point drop from the 71 percent recorded in the second quarter. (PCO file photo)

MANILA – At least 69 percent of Filipinos gave their trust to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., while 66 percent approved his performance in the third quarter of 2024, according to a new OCTA Research survey released on Thursday.

The survey, conducted from Sept. 4 to 7, showed that 69 percent of the respondents expressed their trust in the President, a slight two-point drop from the 71 percent recorded in the second quarter.

His performance rating also declined by two percentage points to 66 percent from 68 percent in the previous quarter.

The September survey indicated that only 11 percent of respondents distrust President Marcos, while 19 percent remained undecided about their stance.

Around 12 percent were dissatisfied with Marcos’ performance and 23 percent were uncertain.

“The President’s national trust rating remained stable compared to the last quarter,” OCTA said, noting that Marcos received majority trust ratings across all major regions and socioeconomic classes.

In terms of major areas, Marcos earned the highest trust rating in Balance Luzon at 78 percent, followed by Visayas at 71 percent, Metro Manila at 69 percent, and Mindanao at 50 percent.

Across socioeconomic classes, trust levels for the President were highest in Class ABC at 73 percent, followed by Class D at 69 percent, and Class E at 67 percent.

President Marcos also recorded majority satisfaction ratings across almost all major regions–Balance Luzon at 74 percent, Visayas at 67 percent, and Metro Manila at 66 percent–except in Mindanao, which posted a 48 percent satisfaction score.

Vice President Sara Duterte, meanwhile, has seen a notable decline in her trust and approval ratings, which have been on a downward trend since March 2023, OCTA noted.

Based on the September survey, Duterte’s trust rating fell six points from the second quarter’s 65 percent, down to 59 percent in the third quarter, while her performance rating fell 8 points to 52 percent from 60 percent during the same period.

Distrust for Duterte now stands at 14 percent, with 27 percent of respondents undecided.

“This downward trajectory in trust ratings is stark compared to March 2023, when she enjoyed an impressive trust level of 87 percent. Such fluctuations indicate a shifting sentiment among the electorate and the potential impact of current political dynamics,” OCTA said.

Additionally, 15 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the Vice President’s performance, while 33 percent remained undecided.

While the Vice President maintained a high trust level in Mindanao at 95 percent, her trust rating dropped sharply in Metro Manila by 13 points to 47 percent, in Balance Luzon by nine points to 43 percent, and in Visayas by 3 points to 63 percent.

In terms of socioeconomic class, Class ABC reported the largest dip in trust for Duterte at 12 points from 64 percent to 52 percent.

“Compared to the previous quarter, her trust ratings declined across all major regions and socioeconomic classes, except in Class E, which saw a five percentage-point increase, and Mindanao, which remained steady at 95 percent,” OCTA said.

OCTA said Duterte obtained majority satisfaction ratings in Visayas at 54 percent and Mindanao at 90 percent.

The pollster, however, pointed out that her satisfaction ratings decreased across all major regions with significant drops in Metro Manila by 12 percentage points, in Balance Luzon by 11 percentage points, and Visayas by 6 percentage points, as well as among all socioeconomic classes with notable declines observed in Class ABC by 6 percentage points and Class D by 9 percentage points.

This is the second time Marcos has registered a higher trust and performance rating than Duterte based on OCTA’s Tugon ng Masa surveys in the last three years.

On the other hand, both Senate President Francis Escudero and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez enjoyed high approval ratings, scoring 65 percent and 62 percent respectively in their performance as leaders of Congress.

Both congressional leaders continue to enjoy high trust among the majority of Filipinos, with trust scores at 67 percent for Escudero and 61 percent for Romualdez.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo received a trust rating of 15 percent and a performance rating of 14 percent.

The survey, conducted face-to-face with 1,200 respondents nationwide, has a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.

Escudero said the survey results should serve as a call for government officials to always do their best in performing their duties.

“While we thank our people for their continued trust in me and the Senate, surveys are mere snapshots of our people’s perception,” Escudero said in a statement.

“Sometimes, ratings may be up and may also go down. However, up or down, we shall always be thankful for the support of our people and will continue to work even harder for our country.” (with a report from Leonel Abasola/PNA)