Marcos approval, trust ratings fall; Sara Duterte’s numbers rise

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte. (INQUIRER.net files)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s approval and trust ratings suffered a major decline in March.

On the other hand, only Vice President Sara Duterte saw an improvement in performance rating among the four highest-ranking officials in the country.

These are the results of the latest poll conducted by Pulse Asia Research Incorporated.

In its Ulat ng Bayan survey conducted in March 2025, Pulse said Marcos’ approval rating fell by 17 percent from 42 percent in February to 25 percent in March.

Pulse said Duterte is the only top official who showed an improvement in her performance ratings, rising by 7 percent from 52 percent in February 2025 to 59 percent in March 2025.

“In contrast, President Bongbong Marcos and Senate President Chiz Escudero experience notable drops in their respective public approval ratings, along with increases in their disapproval scores,” said Pulse.

A quick look at the data released by Pulse on Wednesday shows the following:

•  President Marcos — 25 percent approval; 53 percent disapproval; 22 percent undecided
• Vice President Duterte – 59 percent approval; 16 percent disapproval; 25 percent undecided
• Senate President Escudero – 39 percent approval; 18 percent disapproval; 44 percent undecided
• House Speaker Martin Romualdez — 14 percent approval; 54 percent disapproval; 31 percent undecided

Apart from Marcos, Pulse said Escudero’s approval rating declined by eight percentage points.

Meanwhile, Romualdez’s approval rating remained unchanged, but there’s also a huge climb in his disapproval rating, which was only at 14 percent in February and at 54 percent in March.

When it comes to trust ratings, Pulse said Marcos only garnered a 25 percent trust rating from the respondents, while 61 percent expressed trust in Duterte.

Pulse noted that Marcos’ trust rating declined significantly from 42 percent in February to 25 percent in March, while his distrust rating rose from 32 percent to 54 percent during the same period.

Duterte’s trust rating, on the other hand, rose by 8 percentage points from 53 percent in February to 61 percent in March.

Senate President Chiz Escudero’s trust rating likewise declined from 47 percent in February to 38 percent in March.

This is also accompanied by a rise in distrust from 14 percent to 20 percent in the same period.

Pulse did not provide comparative data for Romualdez’s trust ratings in February and March, but it did note that the House Speaker is “distrusted” by a majority of Filipinos, or 57 percent.

This number is 15 percentage points higher than his distrust rating in February, which was at 42 percent.

Below is a breakdown of the top officials’ latest trust and distrust ratings:

• President Marcos – 25 percent big trust; 54 percent small or no trust; 21 percent undecided
• Vice President Duterte – 61 percent big trust; 16 percent small or no trust; 23 percent undecided
• Senate President Escudero – 38 percent big trust; 20 percent small or no trust; 41 percent undecided
• House Speaker Romualdez — 14 percent big trust; 57 percent small or no trust; 30 percent undecided

Pulse Asia’s survey was conducted a month after Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives in a historic move which garnered over 200 signatures from lawmakers.

On the same day, February 5, the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted from the House of Representatives to the Senate, but the upper chamber adjourned its session without tackling the document.