A significant majority (83%) of Filipino adults support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to publicly expose corruption in government flood control projects, even if it may have political repercussions for him.
Only 3% of respondents disagreed with this stance, according to a survey conducted by the OCTA Research Group.
In the recent Tugon ng Masa (TMN) survey, results showed that support for the president’s stance is more pronounced in the National Capital Region (91%), followed closely by Balance Luzon (90%).
While agreement is lower in the Visayas (64%) and Mindanao (78%), where ambivalence is more pronounced, reaching 24% and 16%, respectively.
According to OCTA, these results suggest that sustained transparency and follow-through on reforms could further strengthen public confidence in government integrity and leadership.
The survey also found that 60% of adult Filipinos reported feelings of anger or outrage when considering corruption in the government, especially concerning flood control initiatives.
Although major outrage persists as the dominant emotion, it is slightly lower in Mindanao (46%) compared to the Visayas (63%), Balance Luzon (64%), and the National Capital Region (59%).
Conversely, fear or anxiety is notably higher in Mindanao (38%), along with sadness or sorrow being more pronounced at 16%.
The call to hold corrupt officials and contractors accountable emerges as the dominant national sentiment with 68%, followed by recovery of lost or misused public funds, alongside the imprisonment of those proven guilty—both viewed as critical steps to restore public trust in government with 58% respectively.
According to OCTA, these findings emphasized that Filipinos demand not only the exposure of wrongdoing but also decisive action, justice, and long- term reform to safeguard the integrity of public institutions and infrastructure programs.
The survey also showed that nearly one in two adult Filipinos (46%) believed the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI)—is the most suitable body to lead the investigation into the flood control mess, followed by the Senate with 23%.
The face-to-face survey was conducted from September 25 to 30, with 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above.
The survey has a ±3% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for the geographic areas covered in the survey have the following margins of error at a 95% confidence level: ±6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
