Marcos’ performance rating up, VP Sara Duterte down in Q1 2026 —OCTA

About 55% of adult Filipinos expressed satisfaction with the performance of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during the first quarter of 2026, while fewer were satisfied with that of Vice President Sara Duterte, results from a non-commissioned survey by OCTA Research showed Monday.

Based on the survey which was conducted from March 19 to 25, 2026, Marcos’ performance rating improved by 4 percentage points to 55%, from the 51% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The President’s performance ratings reached majority levels in all regions, highest in Balance Luzon at 57% and Visayas at 56%, and lowest in the National Capital Region (NCR) at 53% and Mindanao at 51%. 

By socioeconomic class, his performance rating was majority among Class ABC and Class D respondents at 56%, while it was at 48% among Class E.

Twenty-six percent of adult Filipinos, meanwhile, expressed dissatisfaction with Marcos’ performance, and 19% were undecided.

Dissatisfaction was highest in Mindanao at 37%, and ranged from 26% to 28% across all socioeconomic classes. 

His trust rating also rose by 6 points to 54%, from the 48% recorded in the last quarter of last year. 

Marcos also had majority trust ratings in most regions, highest in Balance Luzon at 59%, and lowest in Mindanao at 45%. 

Trust in the President was also highest among Class D respondents at 55%, followed by Class ABC at 52%, and Class E at 49%.

On the other hand, 30% of adult Filipinos expressed distrust toward the President, with it being highest in Mindanao at 45% and lowest in Balance Luzon at 22%. 

Across socioeconomic classes, distrust was highest in Class ABC at 39%, compared to 28% and 29% in Class D and Class E, respectively.

VP Duterte

Duterte’s performance rating, meanwhile, declined by four points to 50%, from the 54% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025. This was, however, still at majority levels. 

She recorded her highest performance rating in Mindanao at 83%, while the lowest was in Balance Luzon at 35%, followed by NCR at 37%. 

By socioeconomic class, her performance ratings was highest among Class E respondents at 59%, and the lowest among Class D at 48%, followed by Class ABC at 53%

Twenty-eight percent, on the other hand, expressed dissatisfaction with the Vice President’s performance, with it being highest in Balance Luzon at 41% and in NCR at 40%, as compared to 18% in Visayas and 1% in Mindanao. 

Dissatisfaction was also higher in Class ABC (34%) and Class D (28%), compared to Class E (16%). About 22% were also undecided about her performance. 

Duterte also maintained majority trust among adult Filipinos, with her trust rating increasing by two points to 55% from 53%. 

OCTA, however, noted that this slight change fell within the survey’s ±3% margin of error and may therefore be interpreted as “statistically unchanged.”

The Vice President’s trust ratings were highest in Mindanao at 90%, and lowest in NCR and Balance Luzon both at 40%. 

Across socioeconomic classes, her trust ratings were highest among Class E at 65%, and the lowest among Class D respondents at 54%, followed by Class ABC at 55%. 

In contrast, 26% of adult Filipinos expressed distrust toward the Vice President, highest in NCR at 42% and in Balance Luzon at 39%, as compared to 15% in Visayas and 0% in Mindanao.

Distrust was also highest among Class ABC respondents at 35%. There were 19% who were also undecided about the Vice President’s trustworthiness. 

GMA News Online reached out to Malacañang and the Office of the Vice President for a comment and will update this story once they respond. 

Middle East conflict, impeachment

OCTA Research fellow Professor Ranjit Rye explained in a Super Radyo dzBB interview that the survey was conducted during the early stages of the conflict in the Middle East, and also coincided with the impeachment moves against the Vice President. 

“Bumaba ang performance rating ng ating Vice President. Hindi ho natin alam kung dahil ito sa mga pangyayari gaya ng… ‘yung impeachment process na-capture ng survey na ‘to, ‘yung unang nag-file ng case against her. Hindi natin alam kung may epekto ‘yun,” Rye said. 

(Our Vice President's performance rating has dropped. We don't know if it's because of events like... the impeachment process was captured in this survey, particularly the first complaint filed against her. We don't know if that has an effect.) 

“Hindi rin natin alam syempre ang epekto nung nangyayari sa Gulf. Syempre mas nakita si Presidente, nagbibigay ng ayuda, gumagawa ng aksyon. So baka iba rin ang perceptions ng ating mga kababayan,” he added. 

(Of course, we don't know the impact of what's happening in the Gulf. Of course, the President was seen more—giving aid, taking action. So maybe the perceptions of our countrymen became different.) 

The OCTA survey, which used face-to-face interviews, was based on a sample of 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above. 

It has a ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for the geographic areas, meanwhile, had margins of error of ±6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao at a 95% confidence level. —AOL, GMA News