MANILA, Philippines — Public trust in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte continued to weaken, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group released on Wednesday showed. The nationwide poll, conducted from September 24 to 30, 2025 among 1,500 respondents with a ±3 percent margin of error, showed both top officials losing ground in public confidence. Marcos’ trust rating dipped to 43 percent from 48 percent in June, while Vice President Duterte saw a sharper eight-point decline — from 61 percent to 53 percent — marking her steepest drop this year. “These results reflect a shifting public mood. Filipinos are reassessing their confidence in the country’s top leaders, with both experiencing dips in trust, though the Vice President’s decline is more significant,” said Stratbase Group President Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit. Despite maintaining overwhelming support in Mindanao, where her trust rating remains high at 82 percent, Duterte’s popularity fell in Balance Luzon (40 percent, from 49 percent), Visayas (56 percent, from 63 percent), and Metro Manila (44 percent, from 51 percent). The data point to a narrowing of her national base. Marcos’ regional performance was mixed. His trust rating rose slightly in Visayas — from 37 percent to 40 percent — but slipped in Metro Manila (46 percent, from 50 percent) and Mindanao (27 percent, from 33 percent). Analysts said the results underscore deepening regional divisions in political loyalties. Across socio-economic classes, Marcos held steady among Classes ABC at 38 percent but lost support among Class E, falling from 50 percent to 38 percent. Duterte’s ratings also dropped among Class D (52 percent, from 62 percent) and Class E (63 percent, from 68 percent), suggesting eroding trust among the working and lower-income groups. Both leaders saw weaker trust among younger Filipinos. Marcos continued to struggle with respondents aged 18 to 34, while Duterte, once popular with the youth, recorded declines across all age brackets, particularly among younger and middle-aged voters. Manhit said the movements in trust ratings show how governance performance directly influences public sentiment. “When people see decisive, transparent action on the issues affecting their daily lives, confidence follows. When they don’t, it erodes — no matter how popular the leader once was. This reflects a maturing public that evaluates leaders more on performance than personality,” he said. “Governance performance is the ultimate driver of trust,” Manhit added.