Since the declaration of martial law 53 years ago, public fatigue over corruption runs deep, with eight in 10 Filipinos or 81 percent believe corruption has worsened, indicating that the issue remains entrenched despite decades of reform pledges, a new data from PAHAYAG 2025 Third Quarter (PQ3-2025) Survey bared.
This sentiment, as showed in the survey conducted from September 27 to 30, 2025, is consistent across all regions, underscoring the public’s enduring cynicism toward anti-corruption efforts. It also revealed that Filipinos increasingly demanding tangible accountability, not just rhetoric, from those in power.
The alleged anomalies in the flood control projects and other corruption in some government agencies have sparked mass protests across the country, but the survey showed that 3 in 4 registered voters (77 percent) did not join the recent rally against corruption last September 21, 2025 -possibly reflecting a sense of resignation that corruption has become a persistent, unresolved feature of governance.
When asked about accountability for the P1 trillion in budget realignments between 2023 and 2025, half of respondents, comprising 1,500 registered Filipino voters, or 49 percent hold both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the House of Representatives, with 24 percent blamed the President alone while 11 percent the Congress.
‘Taken together, these figures show that nearly nine in ten Filipinos attribute responsibility to either or both the Executive and Legislative branches, underscoring a broad public perception that issues of corruption and fiscal mismanagement are systemic rather than isolated to a single leader or institution,’ the survey noted.
Moreover, two in five Filipinos (41 percent) believe stolen public funds should be returned before charges are filed.
Meanwhile, one in four or 26 percent of Filipinos agreed that President Marcos should take a leave of absence if investigated by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) -reflecting a strong public demand for real accountability and restitution, not just rhetoric.