SWS: 59% of Mega Manila folk say DPWH corruption worsened over last 3 years

Amid government efforts to rid the agency of corruption, majority of Filipinos in Mega Manila believe such criminal acts worsened in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) compared to three years ago, a study by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

In its latest October 2025 Mega Manila survey, the SWS found that 59% of respondents viewed the DPWH as the agency where corruption worsened the most over the last three years.

This was among the findings reported Thursday by the public opinion pollster during its "Kapihan sa sa SWS | Kalakaran? The SWS Surveys on Corruption" forum.

The DPWH was far and away at the top of the pack, with the Bureau of Customs and the Senate both at a distant 6%, PhilHealth and the House of Representatives at 4%, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Office of the President at 3%, and the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), and Land Transportation Office (LTO) at 2%. The SWS listed the Top 10 agencies mentioned by respondents.

General public perception on the DPWH dramatically sagged in the long term, as it notched 10% in December 2000; 7% in September 2001; and 18% in March 2012.  

This was among adult Filipinos who said there was corruption in government, and were asked which agencies have more corruption now than three years ago.

The DPWH's jump in 2025 came amid ongoing congressional hearings and public scrutiny of alleged ghost projects, substandard materials, and overpriced infrastructure contracts, particularly in flood control projects in Bulacan.

The survey was conducted on October 19 to 22, covering the areas of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, and Laguna.

GMA News Online has requested comment from the DPWH regarding the SWS findings, but it has yet to respond as of posting time.

Sincerity of institutions

The SWS also presented updated sincerity ratings—a measure of how sincere government institutions are perceived to be in fighting corruption.

At the bottom of list was the DPWH, notching a net sincerity rating of -43. The bottom five, all garnering negative net scores, are the following:

• DPWH: –43
• Bureau of Customs: –15
• House of Representatives: –8
• Senate: –6
• Department of Budget and Management: –4

On the other hand, the following agencies were among the most trusted based on net sincerity scores, registering "very good" or "good" sincerity ratings:

• SSS: +54
• Department of Education (DepEd): +47
• City/Municipal Governments: +47
• Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): +45
• Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE): +45

Meanwhile, eight of 10 Filipinos in Mega Manila believe corruption happens at the national government level, more common than in the provincial, city or municipal, or barangay government levels, the SWS also reported.

• National government: 83%
• Provincial government: 38%
• City/ Municipal government: 35%
• Barangay government: 25%

The October 2025 Mega Manila survey interviewed 600 adults, with assigned samples in NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

The sampling margin of error is ±4% for Mega Manila. Historical data (2000–2018) came from the SWS Survey of Enterprises on Corruption, while earlier rounds were based on national surveys of adults. — Sherylin Untalan/ VDV, GMA Integrated News