PUBLIC trust in government institutions remained uneven at the end of 2025, with most agencies holding steady but several key bodies — particularly the Senate and the House of Representatives — continuing to post declining approval and trust ratings, according to the Pahayag 2025 End-of-the-Year Survey.
The nationwide survey showed that 20 of 33 government agencies recorded largely stable approval ratings. However, institutions closely associated with flood control, price management, transportation, corruption and economic governance registered notable quarter-on-quarter declines.
Approval ratings fell for the Senate, from 28 percent to 24 percent, and the House of Representatives, from 21 percent to 20 percent. Similar drops were recorded by the Department of Health (49 percent to 44 percent), Department of Trade and Industry (42 percent to 34 percent), Department of Transportation (42 percent to 37 percent), Department of Agrarian Reform (38 percent to 35 percent), Department of Finance (30 percent to 26 percent), and the Development, Economic and Development Planning agency (DEVDep), formerly NEDA (35 percent to 31 percent).
Amid the broader downturn, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) emerged as the only agency to post a significant recovery in both approval and trust during the period. Public approval of the DPWH rose from 12 percent to 16 percent, while trust ratings improved from 8 percent to 10 percent. The survey attributed the gains to increased public confidence in ongoing infrastructure and flood control programs under Secretary Vince Dizon.
The Commission on Audit also posted improved figures, with approval climbing from 31 percent to 35 percent, a development respondents linked to the agency’s visible auditing of government officials and institutions.
Distrust remained pronounced in the legislature. Trust in the Senate declined to 31 percent, with 57 percent of respondents saying they had little or no trust in the chamber.
The House of Representatives reflected a similar pattern, with 38 percent expressing low or no trust and 34 percent indicating moderate trust, suggesting continued public dissatisfaction with legislative performance and responsiveness.
Beyond the legislature, declining trust was recorded across a wide range of agencies, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Supreme Court, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Transportation, Department of Agrarian Reform, Commission on Elections, Department of Finance, DEVDep, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, and the Civil Service Commission. Survey analysts said the trend pointed to persistent public unease over governance and economic conditions.
The Pahayag 2025 End-of-the-Year Survey was conducted from Dec. 7 to 10, 2025, using a nationwide purposive sampling of 1,500 registered Filipino voters drawn from the panel of PureSpectrum, a US-based market research platform with global operations and a regional office in Singapore.
The national margin of error for recent PUBLiCUS Asia “Pahayag” surveys is typically ±3 percentage points at a 95-percent confidence level.
Pahayag is a corporate social responsibility initiative of PUBLiCUS Asia Inc., which has tracked public opinion metrics since 2017, while Vox Opinion Research has served as its commissioned research arm since 2007.
Source: Public trust in Senate, House decline, Pahayag survey shows
