Pro-Duterte Pinoys down, pro-Marcos slightly up – OCTA

MANILA, Philippines — More Filipinos identify themselves as pro-Marcos than pro-Duterte, with “independents” or those not affiliated with any group making up a significant chunk, based on the latest survey by OCTA Research.

The survey, conducted from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, found that pro-Marcos respondents made up 38 percent, up two points from 36 percent obtained in a similar survey in June.

Among the respondents, 15 percent said they support the Duterte family and their political allies, down one point from 16 percent.

While the changes were nominal and within the poll’s margin of error, OCTA said the trend showed increasing preference for Marcos and a decreasing one for Duterte.

Seven percent said they support the opposition, up two points from the five percent obtained in the June survey.

OCTA said 26 percent were independents, described as those who “neither support the Marcos administration, the Dutertes nor the opposition.” It was down six points from the previous poll.

Another 14 percent said they did not know or just refused to answer the survey question. The figure was up from 11 percent in June.

Across areas, support for the Marcos administration remained the highest in balance Luzon and Metro Manila at 43 percent and 42 percent, respectively, and it improved by five points among those in the Visayas to 37 percent (from 32 percent).

It stayed at 25 percent among those in Mindanao.

Support for the Duterte family remained the highest in their bailiwick Mindanao at 48 percent, although it dropped two points from 50 percent in June.

It was 12 percent among respondents in the Visayas, six percent in Metro Manila and just three percent in the rest of Luzon.

The Dutertes also lost support among respondents belonging to class E, from 33 percent to 22 percent, while the Marcos administration saw a rise of support in this socio-economic class, from 24 percent to 40 percent.

For the opposition, while support nationwide remained in single digits, it saw an uptrend among those in Metro Manila (from five percent to 10 percent), rest of Luzon (from three percent to five percent), and Mindanao (from zero to four percent).

The opposition also saw an 11-point increase among class ABC respondents, from two percent to 13 percent.

The survey did not provide the respondents with the parameters of who the opposition is.

Several groups identify as opposition, including those affiliated with the once ruling Liberal Party, the progressive Makabayan bloc and even those allied with Vice President Sara Duterte, who recently broke away from the Marcos administration.

The survey was conducted a month before the filing of the certificates of candidacy for the 2025 midterm polls. It has 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent.