THE UNIVERSITY of Mindanao-Institute of Popular Opinion conducted an online survey from March 11 – 22, 2026, targeting 1,200 Davaoeños from the three districts of Davao City to describe their perception of the issues currently affecting the Philippine population.
Since the survey was done online via sponsored ads on three Meta Platforms (Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram), IPO relied heavily on online, pre-defined, targeted social media users who met the inclusion criteria and were targeted for contact within the defined geographical radius. Respondents were defined to be at least 18 years old, have valid/active email address, and a resident in Davao City.
The survey was done at a 95% confidence level and a +/- 2.83% margin of error. Questions asked are related to their awareness and level of concerns on the identified huge issues affecting the country today, like the flood control scandals, impeachment of the President, impeachment of the Vice President, PRRD at the ICC, and the anomalies revealed by the 18 ex-marines.
When asked about their knowledge of the current issues affecting the country, 9 of 10 Davaoeños were aware of the flood control scandals, impeachment of the President and the Vice President, and the issues of PRRD at the ICC. 8 of 10 Davaoeños said that they are aware of the anomalies revealed by the 18 ex-marines.
In terms of the extent of their concern about these issues, approximately 9 out of 10 Davaoeños were mostly concerned about the flood control scandal. Meanwhile, 6 of every 10 Davaoeños were concerned about the issues of PRRD arising at the ICC. Also, 6 of 10 Davaoeños were very concerned about the impeachment of the Vice President and the anomalies revealed by the 18 ex-marines. 4 out of 10 Davaoeños were only concerned with the impeachment of the President, which garnered the least intensity of concern.
When asked which issue should be prioritized by the government, flood control scandals emerged as the top concern, with approximately 8 of every 10 Davaoeños selecting it as the highest priority among all issues. This was followed distantly by other issues like the impeachment of the President (11.4%), impeachment of the Vice President (5.7%), PRRD issues at the ICC (4.8%), and anomalies revealed by the 18 ex-marines (1.9%). This implies that Davaoeños strongly favor addressing issues that directly affect daily lives over political matters.
When clarified as to the reason for choosing a particular issue as a priority, only the issue of flood control contains significant responses. Davaoeños expressed a strong call for the government to prioritize solving issues on the flood control scandals because of the issue of corruption and misuse of public funds, which emerged as the most dominant response among Davaoeños.
Other top reasons include demand for accountability and justice, concern for public safety, lives and welfare of the community when flood impact is concerned. Meanwhile, broader sentiments such as distrust in government, economic concerns, and frustration with governance priorities were present but ranked lower, indicating that while these issues matter, they are secondary to immediate concerns about corruption and its consequences.
