Public support for the Marcos administration dropped sharply from 51 percent at the end of 2022 to just 18 percent in the third quarter of 2025, indicating a continued decline in public confidence amid governance challenges, corruption controversies, and political rifts, according to a survey by PUBLiCUS Asia Inc.
In the recent PAHAYAG poll, results showed that anti-administration sentiment is most pronounced in Mindanao (53 percent) and the Visayas (52 percent), reflecting the lasting influence of former president Rodrigo Duterte in his home region. Conversely, pro-administration support is strongest in North-Central Luzon (25 percent), the stronghold of the Marcos family.
The Visayas has emerged as a crucial battleground, showing both anti-administration and pro-opposition leanings, while the National Capital Region (NCR) and South Luzon display high levels of neutrality.
PUBLiCUS Asia reported a significant drop in administration support from 48 percent in the second quarter of 2023 to 43 percent, mainly due to the government’s failure to stabilize agricultural food prices while President Marcos also served as Agriculture Secretary.
In the first quarter of 2024, support fell further from 46 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 35 percent, driven by public backlash against the People’s Initiative associated with former Speaker Martin Romualdez and efforts for economic charter change.
By the first quarter of 2025, support plummeted from 28 percent to 15 percent, largely due to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) surrender of former president Duterte and the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
This period also saw a sharp rise in anti-administration sentiment, increasing from 30 percent to 45 percent, indicating heightened public dissatisfaction and political polarization.
The survey further revealed that neutral sentiment toward the opposition increased from 42 percent in 2022 to 51 percent in 2025, while anti-opposition sentiment dropped from 40 percent to 25 percent.
According to PUBLiCUS, this trend suggests rising political moderation and voter fatigue with partisan clashes, driven by fragmented opposition groups, a stronger focus on governance issues, and the growing influence of younger, centrist voices advocating pragmatic politics.
The survey was conducted from September 27 to 30 and involved 1,500 respondents randomly selected from the market research panel of registered Filipino voters maintained by the Singapore office of PureSpectrum, a U.S.-based panel marketplace with a global presence.
