Marcos approval rating holds at 18% in latest Publicus Asia survey

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 15, 2026

Photo courtesy: PTV

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval rating remained at 18% in the third quarter of 2026, according to the latest PAHAYAG survey by Publicus Asia, while his trust rating edged up by one percentage point.

The survey, conducted from October 1 to 4, showed Marcos’ approval unchanged from the second quarter, when he also received 18%. His trust rating rose to 13% from 12%. 

Publicus Asia’s second-quarter survey had already shown Marcos’ ratings leveling off after a decline earlier in the year. In the first quarter, he posted 19% approval and 13% trust, before falling to 18% approval and 12% trust in the next quarter. 

Vice President Sara Duterte, meanwhile, received a 29% approval rating, up from 28% in the previous quarter, while her trust rating remained at 27%. 

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian posted 26% approval and 17% trust, down from 32% and 21%, respectively, in the previous quarter. House Speaker Faustino Dy III registered 13% approval and 8% trust, while Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo received 18% approval and 11% trust. 

Among government institutions, TESDA recorded the highest scores in the Publicus survey, with 59% approval and 41% trust. It was followed in approval by the Department of Science and Technology at 49%, while CHED and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas each posted 46%. 

At the lower end, the Department of Public Works and Highways received 19% approval, while both the House of Representatives and Senate posted 22%. The Senate and DPWH each recorded 12% trust, followed by the House at 13%. 

The PAHAYAG survey covered 1,581 registered Filipino voters drawn from a market research panel maintained by PureSpectrum’s Singapore office. Publicus Asia describes the poll as an independent, non-commissioned quarterly survey using nationwide purposive sampling. 

The 18% figure should be read specifically as a Publicus Asia result. Other pollsters using different methodologies and fieldwork periods have produced different numbers. 

Pulse Asia’s September survey, for example, placed Marcos’ approval at 30% and trust at 29%, while an SWS survey conducted later that month found 36% expressing “much trust” in the President.