MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has maintained his position as the country’s highest-rated official in a recent independent survey, while Vice President Sara Duterte saw a slight dip in her approval performance amid continuing political issues.
The RPMD Foundation Inc. “Boses ng Bayan” national survey showed Marcos leading the Index of Governance (IOG) rankings with a 57 percent score, derived from 56 percent trust and 58 percent approval ratings.
The IOG metric combines trust and approval levels equally to determine an official’s overall governance standing.
The survey was conducted from April 1 to 8, 2026, involving 5,000 randomly selected respondents nationwide across all socioeconomic classes. It carried a ±1 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.
RPMD analysts said Marcos’ performance reflects steady public confidence in his leadership, with his strongest support recorded in Luzon at 58 percent in the Balance of Luzon area.
His ratings also showed gradual improvement in Mindanao, a traditional Duterte stronghold, while the Visayas region remained divided but slightly leaned toward the President.
Vice President Duterte posted a 54 percent IOG score, supported by 57 percent trust and 51 percent approval ratings.
Despite maintaining the highest trust rating among senior officials, RPMD noted that Duterte’s approval score was the lowest in the survey group.
She nevertheless retained strong support in Mindanao, where she continued to register around 60 percent backing.
The survey further showed shifting political preferences across socioeconomic classes. Duterte led slightly among Class E respondents, while Class D—considered the largest voter bloc—was evenly split between her and Marcos. Respondents from the ABC classes showed stronger preference for Marcos.
“This reflects the current political mood of Filipinos,” said RPMD executive director Paul Martinez.
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