President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and House Speaker Martin Romualdez saw marked improvements in their trust and performance ratings, according to the latest Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey released by OCTA Research yesterday.
At the same time, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio and Senate President Francis Escudero logged notable declines.
Mr. Marcos emerged as the top-performing official in the second-quarter survey, with a 4-point increase in trust rating (64%) and a 3-point rise in performance rating (62%).
While the latter remains within the margin of error, OCTA noted that the consistent upward trend signals a “genuine and positive shift” in public perception.
The improvements marked a reversal of the downward trend observed since late 2024, highlighting what OCTA describes as a renewed public confidence in the President’s leadership.
“Among the top officials surveyed, President Marcos Jr. holds the highest trust and performance ratings in the 2nd Quarter of 2025,” OCTA said in a statement.
In contrast, the Vice President’s trust and performance ratings saw sharp declines.
Her trust rating dropped 4 points to 54%, while her performance rating plunged 6 points to 50%.
OCTA’s study indicated that these declines were broad-based, affecting nearly all regions and socioeconomic classes, with steep drops recorded in Metro Manila and Balance Luzon.
Despite the downward trend, the Vice President still holds majority support, with both ratings staying above the 50% mark.
“Despite their contrasting trends, both Marcos Jr. and Duterte-Carpio continue to enjoy majority backing, with trust and approval ratings remaining above the 50% mark,” OCTA said.
Similarly, Escudero also experienced a 4-point drop in both trust (51%) and performance (49%) ratings nationally.
However, the dip was partly offset by significant gains in Mindanao, where his trust rating jumped 11 points and his performance rating surged 17 points—the largest regional improvement of any official in this survey cycle.
Meanwhile, Romualdez joined the President as one of only two top officials who saw gains in both trust and performance.
His trust rating rose 3 points to 57%, while his performance rating climbed 4 points to 59%
These gains were described as broad-based, with improvements across all major regions and socioeconomic groups, signaling a strengthening public perception of the Speaker’s leadership.
In a statement, Romualdez welcomed the survey results, which chalked up an increase in his trust and performance ratings along with the President.
“I welcome the results of the latest OCTA Tugon ng Masa survey with gratitude and a clear sense of responsibility,” he said.
“The increase in both my trust rating and performance rating is an encouraging sign that the reforms we’ve been working on in the House of Representatives—particularly on transparency, budget integrity, and service delivery—are gaining public support,” he added.
The Speaker pointed out that the survey results indicate that people are paying attention and that they want honest leadership and tangible results.
OCTA Research emphasized that the TNM survey results were gathered independently and without any external commissioning.
It was carried out from July 12 to 17, through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above.
