For the first time in three years, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has registered higher trust and approval ratings than Vice President Sara Duterte in the second quarter 2024 results of the non-commissioned “Tugon ng Masa” (TNM) Survey by OCTA Research.

In its report released on Tuesday, Aug. 27, OCTA said majority of Filipinos still express trust and approval for both President Marcos and Vice President Duterte. 

However, while President Marcos’ ratings have significantly improved, Vice President Duterte’s ratings have continued to decline.

Trust levels

OCTA found that 71 percent of adult Filipinos expressed trust in President Marcos, up 2 percent from 69 percent in the first quarter of 2024. 

It noted that this increase, though within the margin of error, reflects a slight positive shift in the President’s ratings. 

Conversely, only 10 percent of respondents distrust him, while 19 percent remain undecided.

In contrast, OCTA said Vice President Duterte’s trust rating decreased to 65 percent, down from 68 percent in the first quarter of 2024. 

It pointed out that the decline, also within the margin of error, marks the second consecutive quarter of decreasing trust since the 4th quarter TNM survey of December 2023. 

Eleven percent of respondents distrust the Vice President, while 24 percent are undecided.

OCTA said President Marcos’ trust ratings vary between 56 percent and 80 percent across major regions, with his highest rating of 80 percent in Balance Luzon and his lowest of 56 percent in Mindanao. 

It noted that from March to July 2024, his overall trust rating increased by two percentage points, largely due to an eight-point rise in Mindanao.

By socioeconomic class, the President’s trust ratings range from 66 percent to 74 percent, with the highest rating from Class ABC (74 percent) and the lowest from Class E (66 percent). 

His trust rating among Class ABC Filipinos rose by 11 percentage points compared to the previous survey.

Meanwhile, OCTA said Vice President Duterte's trust ratings range from 52 percent to 95 percent, with the highest rating of 95 percent in Mindanao and the lowest at 52 percent in Balance Luzon. 

Compared to earlier surveys, her trust ratings decreased by three percentage points in Visayas and four percentage points in Balance Luzon.

For socioeconomic classes, the Vice President's ratings range from 64 percent to 68 percent, with the highest trust rating of 68 percent from Class E and the lowest of 64 percent from Class ABC. 

Her trust ratings declined by 3 percent in Class D and 4 percent in Class E.

Approval ratings 

OCTA also found that 68 percent of adult Filipinos are satisfied with President Marcos’ performance, a 3 percent increase from the 65 percent recorded in the first quarter of 2024 TNM Survey conducted in March 2024. However, the change is within the margin of error. 

Meanwhile, 10 percent are dissatisfied, and 22 percent remain undecided.

In contrast, OCTA said Vice President Duterte’s approval ratings have declined, with 60 percent expressing satisfaction, down 4 percent from the 64 percent reported in the same survey. 

Twelve percent of Filipinos are dissatisfied with her performance, and 28 percent are undecided.

OCTA said President Marcos’ approval ratings range from 56 percent to 75 percent across major areas. 

His highest rating is in Balance Luzon (75 percent), while his lowest is in Mindanao (56 percent). 

Despite this, he saw the most significant increase in Mindanao, with an eight percentage-point rise from 46 percent in March 2024.

By socioeconomic class, Marcos’ approval ratings range from 64 percent to 71 percent. He received his highest rating from Classes ABC (71 percent), marking an 11-point increase, and his lowest from Class E (64 percent).

Conversely, OCTA said Vice President Duterte’s approval ratings range from 48 percent to 92 percent, with the highest rating in Mindanao (92 percent) and the lowest in Balance Luzon (42 percent). 

She has experienced declines across all regions, with the most significant drops of six percentage points in the National Capital Region and four percentage points in Visayas.

Trust, approval for other gov’t officials

During the same survey period, OCTA found that Senate President Francis Escudero and Speaker Martin Romualdez enjoy the trust of majority of Filipinos, with ratings of 67 percent and 62 percent, respectively.

Escudero is surveyed for the first time as Senate President in this poll.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo registered a trust rating of 13 percent.

OCTA noted that the Speaker experienced an increase in his trust

rating, while the Chief Justice experienced a slight decline. 

In the 2nd quarter 2024 TNM survey, 63 percent of adult Filipinos also expressed approval of Speaker Romualdez'sperformance. 

His ratings saw minor national improvements, notably in Mindanao, where they rose by 10 percent from 42 percent to 52 percent, and among class ABC, which increased by 13 percent from 54 percent to 67 percent.

In contrast, Chief Justice Gesmundo's performance rating fell by two percentage points to 12 percent.

OCTA’s TNM survey was conducted from June 30 to July 5 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above. 

The survey has a ±3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level.