Malacañang has urged Filipinos to look at facts and all available evidence in assessing political developments, after an OCTA Research survey showed the possible tandem of Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo and Sen. Raffy Tulfo narrowly leading that of Vice President Sara Duterte and Sen. Imee Marcos in a hypothetical 2028 presidential and vice presidential race.

“Tingin ko dapat tumingin ang mga kababayan natin sa katotohanan (I think our countrymen should look at the truth),” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Thursday, Aug. 13, when asked whether the ongoing impeachment trial could serve as a barometer of Filipinos' presidential preferences for the 2028 elections.

“Kung ano iyong nakikitang ebidensiya, dapat maging mulat sila kung ano iyong katotohanan (Whatever evidence they see, they should be aware of what the truth is),” she added.

Castro cautioned against treating individual survey results as definitive indicators of public sentiment, saying some polling firms could potentially be used for political purposes.

“May mga pagkakataon po kasi — hindi natin nilalahat; maraming maaayos na survey firms — pero may mga survey firms na baka nagagamit sa pamumulitika (There are instances, and we are not generalizing, because there are many reputable survey firms, but there may be survey firms that could be used for politics),” she said.

“Nagkakaroon ng mind conditioning, para iangat iyong kanilang mga parokyano (It results in mind conditioning to boost their favored candidates),” she added.

The Palace Press Officer urged the public to examine evidence beyond individual survey findings before making political judgments.

“So, mas maganda po tumingin tayo sa lahat ng ebidensiya, hindi sa sinabi ng isa, ito ang na-survey dito, kung ano iyong katotohanan, doon lang po mas magiging maayos ang pagde-decide ng bawat Pilipino (So, it would be better for us to look at all the evidence, not just at what one survey says; looking at the truth is what will allow every Filipino to make better decisions),” Castro said.

“Maging mapanuri lang (They should simply be critical),” she added.

The latest OCTA Research Tugon ng Masa survey, conducted from July 4 to 11 among 1,200 adults nationwide, showed Robredo and Tulfo receiving 45 percent support, compared with 42 percent for Duterte and Marcos, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

OCTA said the three-point difference should not be treated as a reliable lead because the margin of error for a head-to-head comparison is wider, describing the matchup as a statistical toss-up rather than a clear advantage for either tandem.

The survey also showed eight percent would vote for neither tandem, four percent were undecided, and one percent declined to answer, leaving 13 percent of respondents outside the two leading choices.

Regionally, Robredo-Tulfo led in NCR at 56 percent and Balance Luzon at 61 percent, while the two tandems were tied at 45 percent each in the Visayas. The Duterte-Marcos pairing posted 90 percent support in Mindanao.

The survey was an early-stage hypothetical measure of voter preference and, according to OCTA, should be viewed as a snapshot of public sentiment rather than a prediction of the 2028 election outcome, as political alliances, issues, candidate positioning, and campaign dynamics could still significantly change voter preferences.