Marcos, Sara Duterte Ratings Decline in Latest OCTA Survey

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte both saw declines in their performance and trust ratings in the latest OCTA Research Group survey, released ahead of Marcos' fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. According to OCTA's non-commissioned survey, 47% of adult Filipinos said they were satisfied with the President’s performance, down 8 percentage points from 55% in March. Across major geographic areas, Marcos received a majority performance rating only in Balance Luzon, at 60%. His rating stood at 43% in the National Capital Region (NCR), 45% in the Visayas, and 26% in Mindanao. OCTA’s Q2 2026 Tugon ng Masa survey also showed that 33% of respondents were dissatisfied with Marcos’ performance. Dissatisfaction was highest in Mindanao at 48% and ranged from 26% to 32% in the other areas. Marcos also received a trust rating of 49%, down from 54% in March. Trust in the President was highest in Balance Luzon at 63%, followed by NCR at 46%, the Visayas at 43%, and Mindanao at 26%. Meanwhile, 32% of adult Filipinos expressed distrust in Marcos, with the highest level recorded in Mindanao at 49% and the lowest in Balance Luzon at 22%. Sara Duterte ratings Vice President Duterte received a trust rating of 47%, also down from 55% in March. “This is her lowest national trust rating in the available trend series and places her below majority trust for the first time since November 2024,” OCTA said. Duterte’s trust rating stood at 27% in Balance Luzon, 28% in NCR, 58% in the Visayas, and 89% in Mindanao. Thirty-three percent expressed distrust in Duterte, with distrust highest in NCR at 47%, followed by Balance Luzon at 44%. Only 4% of respondents in Mindanao said they distrusted the Vice President. Another 20% were undecided about Duterte’s trustworthiness. The survey also showed that 45% were satisfied with Duterte’s performance, down from 50% in March. “This is her lowest national performance rating in the available trend series. Her performance rating is below majority level for the first time since November 2024, when it stood at 49%,” OCTA said. Duterte’s performance rating stood at 22% in NCR, 25% in Balance Luzon, 55% in the Visayas, and 90% in Mindanao. Meanwhile, 36% said they were dissatisfied with Duterte’s performance. Dissatisfaction was highest in NCR at 61%, followed by Balance Luzon at 48%, the Visayas at 25%, and Mindanao at 4%. 'Broad-based' OCTA noted that Marcos recorded the larger decline in performance ratings, while Duterte posted the larger decline in trust. The research group said Marcos’ decline appeared “broad-based nationally” and was not anchored on a single event such as Duterte’s impeachment trial. “A governance-related perception may be one contributing driver: the administration may have been perceived by some Filipinos as unable to adequately shield them from the domestic economic fallout of the renewed conflict in the Middle East,” OCTA said. OCTA said another possible factor was public criticism over the perceived delay in holding those responsible for the flood control controversy accountable. Meanwhile, the group linked Duterte’s decline in ratings partly to her impeachment trial. OCTA noted that Duterte’s ratings fell below the majority level in the same quarter that the trial began and by a wider margin than when they previously dropped below the majority level in November 2024. The group also cited criticism from some members of Congress that Duterte had not done enough, as well as perceptions of corruption. OCTA said Duterte’s previous majority ratings nationwide may have depended heavily on her strong support in Mindanao, which offset her comparatively weaker standing elsewhere. “Read this way, the drop below majority is less a sudden reversal than the exposure of a structural vulnerability that was already present in the composition of her numbers, brought to the surface by a trial that put her directly and continuously in the national spotlight,” OCTA said. The survey was conducted from July 4 to 11 through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults. It has a ±3-percentage-point margin of error at the 95% confidence level for national estimates and ±6 percentage points for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. 'Work vs. propaganda' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said the survey results showed who was working and who was not. “Lumalabas ang totoo sa mga surveys na hindi pampropaganda lang at hindi ginagamit na ebidensya sa isang trial. Dapat makita talaga ng mga Filipino kung sino ang tunay nagtatrabaho at kung sino ang walang ginagawa kundi manira lang,” Castro said in a message to reporters. (The truth comes out in surveys that are not merely used for propaganda or presented as evidence in a trial. Filipinos should see who is actually working and who is doing nothing but attack others.) “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. Puro paninira pero walang naibibigay na anumang solusyon,” she added. (The decline in VP Sara’s ratings reflects the reality that she has contributed nothing to the government’s efforts to address issues such as inflation and rising fuel prices. She keeps attacking others but has offered no solutions.) GMA News Online has reached out to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for comment and will update this story once it responds. — MCG, GMA News