Palace says Marcos not bothered by drop in trust, approval ratings

Claire Castro. Screengrab from RTVM/FACEBOOK

[Updated April 21, 2025, 5:58 p.m.]

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is unbothered by the drop in his trust and approval ratings in the latest Ulat ng Bayan survey by Pulse Asia Research, a Palace official said on Monday.

In a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro also suspected that the opinions of the respondents may have been influenced by fake news.

READ: Pulse Asia: Marcos trust, approval rate down; Sara Duterte up

“The president is not concerned about any survey ratings. The president, regardless of the rating — whether high or low — will continue doing his job. He will not be stopped by any survey,” Castro said in Filipino.

“The 2,400 respondents do not reflect the sentiment of the more than 100 million Filipinos in the country. If these people did give their opinions, it was perhaps a result of fake news,” she added.

Asked whether the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte last March 11 may have affected the survey conducted more than a week later, Castro replied: “This is something the administration will still look into.”

During a Cabinet meeting held the same day, Castro said that Marcos ordered intensified efforts against the spread of deceptive information.

“Fake news can derail the mindset of the public, which is why action is now being taken,” Castro said.

The palace officials further eased worries about the recent spate of kidnappings in the country. She said there is no need to tap the military on this matter.

“Some are also spreading claims that there is a widespread kidnapping spree in the country — that is not true; that is a big piece of fake news,” said Castro.

Based on a Pulse survey conducted from March 23 to March 29, Marcos’ public approval ratings fell by 17 percentage points, from 42 percent in February to 25 percent in March.

The president’s disapproval ratings, meanwhile, went up by 21 points, from 32 percent to 53 percent.