Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III brushed off the decline in the Senate’s public approval rating, saying the chamber will continue to fulfill its duties with professionalism and integrity, regardless of what surveys show.
In a Viber message to reporters on Friday, Sotto stressed that survey results merely reflect the public’s perception at a particular point in time and should not dictate how the Senate performs its legislative responsibilities.
“As always, surveys serve as guides to perceptions in that particular moment. In other words, a snapshot of the past. The Senate will do its work diligently no matter what,” he said.
The statement came after the latest Pulse Asia survey revealed that the Senate’s performance rating dropped by 11 percentage points—from 53% in June to 42% in September.
According to the same survey, conducted from September 27 to 30 among 1,200 respondents, those who disapproved of the Senate’s performance rose from 18% to 28%, while the number of undecided respondents increased slightly from 28% to 30%.
The House of Representatives also experienced a steeper decline in its approval rating, falling by 17 percentage points—from 47% in June to 30% in September. Disapproval for the lower chamber grew from 21% to 34%, while those undecided went up from 32% to 36%.
The survey was released amid leadership transitions in both chambers and allegations of irregularities tied to some lawmakers and infrastructure projects.
Despite the drop, Sotto maintained that the Senate’s focus remains unchanged—to legislate effectively, act with transparency, and uphold the public interest.