Marcos Jr., Speaker get highest trust, approval ratings in latest survey

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez garnered high trust and approval ratings in the recent “Boses ng Bayan” national survey conducted by RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD) for the first quarter of 2024.

The independent and non-commissioned survey, conducted between March 18 and 23, revealed that Marcos attained a trust rating of 79 percent with a 76 percent approval rating, while Romualdez received a 75 percent trust rating with a 72 percent approval rating.

The same survey also indicated high trust and approval ratings for Vice President Sara Duterte at 77 percent trust and 74 percent approval, and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri at 73 percent trust and 70 percent approval.

According to RPMD, the survey aims to provide “an insightful analysis of the trust and approval ratings of the highest-ranking officials in the Philippine government.”

It further stated that the results of the survey “reveal a positive perception among the Filipino populace towards their leaders.”

Marcos’ trust ratings were highest in balance Luzon at 86 percent, followed by the Visayas at 75.1 percent, National Capital Region at 73.3 percent and Mindanao at 71.7 percent.

The same pattern was observed in his approval ratings, with balance Luzon at 81.6 percent, National Capital Region at 72.1 percent, the Visayas at 71.9 percent and Mindanao at 70.6 percent.

In the same survey, both chambers of Congress received positive ratings from the public, with the Senate earning a trust rating of 83 percent and a job approval rating of 80 percent, while the House of Representatives garnered a trust rating of 78 percent and a job satisfaction rating of 75 percent.

The Boses ng Bayan surveyed 10,000 adults randomly selected from a pool of 67.75 million registered voters, ensuring a nationally representative sample with regional distributions mirroring official voter statistics.

The methodology claims a precise margin of error of plus/minus one percent and a confidence level of 95 percent.

Too early

Meanwhile, the OCTA Research group said it is too early to count anyone out in next year’s midterm elections for the Senate despite a very big showing of familiar names in recent pre-electoral surveys.

OCTA fellow and University of the Philippines political science professor Ranjit Rye, however, admitted during “Storycon” on One News on Thursday that the upcoming elections would be “highly contested” and “very competitive.”

“It’s too early to count anyone out. But it will be tough, it will be an uphill climb for new players,” he said.

OCTA on Thursday released the results of its first quarter survey, which showed Deputy Majority Leader and ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo leading the list of potential candidates for the Senate next year.

He was followed by former Senate president Vicente Sotto III, Sen. Bong Go, Tulfo’s brother Ben, former president Rodrigo Duterte, former senator Panfilo Lacson, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, former senator Manny Pacquiao, Sen. Bong Revilla, Sen. Imee Marcos, former Manila mayor Isko Moreno and Sen. Pia Cayetano.

Outside the so-called “Magic 12” but within statistical chances of winning are Sen. Francis Tolentino, Sen. Lito Lapid, Dr. Willie Ong and Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos.

Senators Go, Dela Rosa, Revilla, Marcos, Cayetano, Tolentino and Lapid are all eligible for reelection.

Lagging behind in the survey are identified opposition personalities, such as former vice president Leni Robredo, former senators Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Mar Roxas, Bam Aquino and Leila de Lima, lawyer Chel Diokno and former party-list representative Neri Colmenares.

A similar survey released by Pulse Asia also showed incumbents and former senators leading the list, along with the Tulfo brothers, former president Duterte and possible fresh faces such as Moreno, Ong and outgoing Makati Mayor Abby Binay.

According to Rye, the composition and numbers are still expected to change, especially after the filing of the certificates of candidacy and the start of the campaign period.

“This is just the first quarter survey. Numbers will change… We’re not sure if everyone in the list is going to run,” he said.

Erwin, for instance, said his brother Ben will not run for senator, although he did not say if he will gun for a seat himself. Their brother Raffy won a Senate seat in the 2022 elections.

Analyzing the results, Rye said the election appears to be “holding for established political names.”

“This particular midterm election is going to be tough, because there are established political names who are incumbents, there are returnees who come from prominent political families. The competition is going to be very, very high,” he said.

“It will be very expensive to run a campaign this particular midterm… It will be a challenge for any new player, but I’m not counting them out. The progressives can continue to fight,” he added.

Rye said OCTA will release more survey results on the country’s current political atmosphere, including the public’s perceived “political affiliation.”