Both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte suffered declines in their trust and performance ratings in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa poll.
The survey, conducted nationwide from July 4 to 11 with 1,200 respondents (±3% margin of error), revealed that Marcos’ trust rating dipped five percentage points from 54% in March to 49% in July, while his performance rating slid from 55% to 47%. Duterte experienced a similar downturn, with her trust rating falling eight percentage points from 55% to 47% and her performance score dropping from 50% to 45%.
In response to the figures, Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated that the survey reflected authentic public sentiment rather than orchestrated political messaging.
”Lumalabas ang totoo sa mga surveys na hindi pampropaganda lang at hindi ginagamit na ebidensya sa isang trial,” Castro told Palace reporters.
Castro linked Duterte’s falling scores to what the Palace views as a lack of actionable contributions toward solving major national problems.
”Sa pagbaba ng ratings ni VP Sara ay reflection ng katotohanan na wala siyang naitutulong sa gobyerno para masolusyunan ang issues ng inflation at pagtaas ng presyo ng krudo,” she noted.
She further urged the public to weigh active leadership against mere political attacks.
”Dapat makita talaga ng mga Filipino kung sino ang tunay nagtatrabaho at kung sino ang walang ginagawa kundi manira lang… Puro paninira pero walang naibibigay na anumang solusyon,” Castro added.
The poll results arrived as the Senate impeachment court conducts ongoing proceedings against Duterte over alleged confidential fund misuse, misdeclared wealth, bribery, and grave threats. Earlier in the trial, Duterte’s defense team submitted a photo showing her trust ratings surpassing Marcos’ to counter charges of violating public trust.
The political alliance between the 2022 running mates crumbled in mid-2024 following Duterte’s resignation from the Cabinet, sparked by rifts over government cooperation with the International Criminal Court regarding former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The dynamic has since spiraled into open hostility, including past claims by Duterte that she had instructed an assassin to target Marcos should any attempt on her own life succeed.