VICE President Sara Duterte was 16 points ahead of her closest rival, Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, in the first presidential preferential survey conducted after she declared her intention to run for president in 2028, results from independent research firm Tangere showed. None of the other names in the survey have declared an intention to run in 2028. The non-commissioned survey, conducted from Feb. 19 to 20, 2026, placed Duterte at the top of the presidential preference list with 43 percent support among 1,200 respondents nationwide. Robredo followed with 27 percent, while Tulfo ranked third with 15 percent. Sen. Risa Hontiveros placed fourth with 3 percent, while 12 percent of respondents remained undecided. The results indicate a significant regional divide in voter sentiment. Duterte maintained a dominant lead in the Visayas and Mindanao, while Robredo’s support was concentrated in Calabarzon and the Bicol Region. Tulfo, meanwhile, led in the National Capital Region and Central Luzon. Northern Luzon emerged as a key battleground, with voters split between Duterte and Tulfo. The survey also highlighted the fluidity of the race. Among Duterte’s primary voters, 22 percent identified Robredo as their next best alternative, while another 22 percent said they would choose Tulfo if Duterte were not in the race. The findings suggest that a substantial segment of second-choice voters remains up for grabs as the campaign season unfolds. Endorsement scenarios Tangere also explored alternative scenarios, including the potential effect of a presidential endorsement on Robredo’s candidacy. According to the survey, 20 percent of Robredo’s supporters said they would no longer vote for her if she accepted the backing of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., indicating that a segment of her base values independence from the current administration. Despite the potential loss, the same scenario showed that an endorsement from Marcos would attract enough new voters — primarily from Tulfo’s base — to result in a net 3 percent increase in Robredo’s overall preference, bumping her support from 27 percent to 30 percent. However, the shift would also push 20 percent of her original supporters into the undecided column. In another scenario, the entry of Sen. Bong Go into the presidential race appeared to have minimal impact on Duterte’s standing. Only 12 percent of Duterte’s original voters said they would shift their support to Go, while 88 percent would remain loyal to the vice president. The finding suggests that Duterte’s support base is now personally anchored to her rather than to the broader political alliance she shares with Go. Go emerged as the highest-rated official in terms of trust and satisfaction, posting identical 64 percent ratings in both categories — the highest among all candidates surveyed. Robredo followed closely, with a 59.2 percent trust rating and a 55.9 percent satisfaction rating, which respondents attributed to her past performance as vice president and her current executive role in Naga City. Tulfo and Sen. Bam Aquino also posted strong favorable ratings, with 56 to 60 percent of respondents viewing them positively. Aquino, in particular, recorded the lowest dissatisfaction and distrust scores among all candidates, indicating a consistently positive perception across demographic groups. The survey also measured the approval and trust ratings of top government officials. Vice President Duterte posted a 55 percent trust rating and a 48 percent satisfaction rating for her performance as vice president. President Marcos, meanwhile, recorded a 35 percent trust rating and a 32 percent approval rating, trailing Duterte despite a 6 percent increase in his numbers from the previous month. His distrust rating stood at 48.5 percent, while his disapproval rating reached 51.3 percent. Senate President Vicente Sotto III posted a 44.4 percent trust rating and a 43.3 percent approval rating, while Speaker Faustino Dy III registered 31.7 percent trust and 29.9 percent approval. The non-commissioned survey was conducted via a mobile-based respondent application using stratified random sampling with quota-based controls. It had a sample size of 1,200 participants and a margin of error of ±2.77 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.