The results of a Pulse Asia survey released on Monday, Jan. 12, showed that confidence in the punishment of officials involved in the flood control projects scandal declined in the last quarter of 2025.

In the survey, conducted from Dec. 12 to 15 with 1,200 adult respondents, 59 percent of Filipinos said they expect guilty officials to face consequences, down significantly from 71 percent in the September 2025 survey.

Although confidence has eased, Pulse Asia found that majorities across most regions and socioeconomic classes continue to believe that government officials found guilty in connection with the scandal will be punished.

Regional agreement ranges from 57 percent to 65 percent, while across socioeconomic classes it ranges from 58 percent to 68 percent.

Metro Manila is an exception, where opinions are more divided. Forty-two percent of adults agreed that guilty officials would be punished, while 37 percent remained undecided.

Slight decreases in confidence were also observed in Mindanao (-13 percentage points), Class D (-12 points), and Class E (-21 points), while overall indecision increased by seven points, including an eight-point rise among Class D respondents.

In Metro Manila, the proportion of adults doubting that officials would face punishment increased by 14 points, the survey showed.

The survey also examined public confidence in the Philippine justice system’s ability to prosecute high-level corruption cases.

A plurality of 44 percent of adults expressed confidence, with the highest levels found in the rest of Luzon (51 percent), Class D (44 percent), and Class E (49 percent).

About a third of adults remain undecided, while 24 percent are not confident.

Confidence is more evenly split in Visayas, where 46 percent are confident and 36 percent are not, and opinion is more divided in Metro Manila, Mindanao, and Class C respondents, with confidence ranging from 29 percent to 38 percent, indecision from 31 percent to 35 percent, and lack of confidence from 27 percent to 40 percent.

When asked about the factors most likely to affect court decisions in corruption cases, a bare majority of 51 percent said the use of influence by officials to avoid conviction was the primary factor.

This view was shared by respondents in Metro Manila (49 percent), the rest of Luzon (57 percent), Visayas (51 percent), Class C (53 percent), and Class D (54 percent).

For Class E respondents, a slight majority (52 percent) identified the quality of evidence as the most important factor.

In Mindanao, 43 percent cited official influence while 35 percent cited the quality of evidence.

Other factors cited by Filipino adults nationwide include the length of trials (16 percent) and the fairness of judges handling cases (8 percent).

The Pulse Asia “Ulat ng Bayan” survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults aged 18 and above nationwide.