Vice President Sara Duterte remains the highest-rated among the country's top government officials, according to the latest survey released by Social Weather Stations (SWS).
In the 15 to 20 March survey, 54 percent of adult Filipinos said they were satisfied with Duterte's performance, while 28 percent were dissatisfied and 18 percent were undecided, resulting in a net satisfaction rating of +29.
The rating was one point higher than the +28 she received in November 2025 and remained within the “moderate” classification used by SWS.
Duterte outperformed other top officials covered by the survey, including Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who registered a net satisfaction rating of +15; Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, +9; and Speaker Faustino “Inno” Dy III, +4.
“The resulting net satisfaction ratings were moderate +29 for Vice President Duterte, moderate +15 for Senate President Sotto, neutral +4 for Speaker Dy, and neutral +9 for Chief Justice Gesmundo,” SWS said.
The survey comes amid continuing political tensions between Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose once-powerful alliance has fractured ahead of the 2028 presidential race.
Despite impeachment proceedings, Duterte has largely maintained her support base, particularly in Mindanao, where the Duterte family remains politically dominant.
Political science professor Dennis Coronacion said Duterte’s strong survey performance may be partly explained by the public’s tendency to associate government problems more directly with the President than the Vice President.
“In a presidential system, the president takes the heat,” Coronacion said in an earlier interview. “The vice president is often spared.”
Coronacion also noted that Duterte has remained largely insulated from public frustration over inflation, food prices, and other governance issues that are commonly linked to the administration.
Meanwhile, University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance senior lecturer Lesther Balmatero said Duterte’s position outside the administration’s core governing structure has allowed her to avoid being directly blamed for many of the country’s problems.
“Lahat ng problema ng taumbayan sa pagkain, kagutuman, mataas na presyo ng bilihin, trabaho, mako-connect mo siya doon sa present administration, doon sa presidente,” Balmatero said in a January interview.
Analysts also pointed to Duterte’s solid political base in Mindanao and her emergence as one of the administration’s most visible critics following her falling out with Marcos.
The latest SWS findings also contrast sharply with the results of a separate survey released earlier this week showing Marcos’ net satisfaction rating plunging from +3 in November 2025 to -15 in March 2026, the lowest recorded during his administration.
The diverging survey results underscore the shifting political landscape as both camps consolidate support ahead of the next national elections.
Separate surveys have consistently shown Duterte leading early presidential preference polls despite the controversies surrounding her office.
The March 2026 SWS survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults nationwide. It carried a margin of error of ±3 percentage points for national figures and ±6 percentage points for area estimates.
