MANILA, Philippines — Public trust in government institutions remains mixed, with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) emerging as a rare bright spot, according to the PAHAYAG 2025 End-of-the-Year Survey covering Cabinet performance, agency approval, and public trust.
Findings show that while the majority of government agencies (20 out of 33) remain stable in public approval, several critical institutions continue to suffer significant drops. Agencies involved in flood control, rising prices, transport issues, corruption, and economic management—including the Senate (28% to 24%), House of Representatives (21% to 20%), Department of Health (49% to 44%), Department of Trade and Industry (42% to 34%), Department of Transportation (42% to 37%), Department of Agrarian Reform (38% to 35%), Department of Finance (30% to 26%), and DEVDEP (formerly NEDA) (35%to 31%)—registered notable declines this quarter.
The DPWH is the only agency to register a significant recovery in both approval and trust this quarter, making it the sole gainer among government agencies. Public approval rose from 12% to 16%, while trust ratings also improved (8% to 10%), reflecting growing confidence in the department’s ongoing infrastructure and flood-control programs under Secretary Vince Dizon. This recovery, alongside a similar gain for the Commission on Audit (31% to 35%), credited for its active role in auditing government officials and agencies, offers a rare glimmer of positive public sentiment in an otherwise challenging quarter for many institutions.
Distrust persists in legislative bodies
Despite the DPWH recovery, Filipinos remain skeptical of the Senate and House of Representatives. Trust in the Senate fell to 31%, with 57% expressing low or no trust. The House of Representatives mirrored this pattern, with low/no trust at 38% and moderate trust at 34%, reflecting public concern over legislative responsiveness and governance.
A broad list of agencies experienced declining trust, including the AFP, PNP, Supreme Court, DFA, DOH, DTI, DOTr, DAR, Comelec, DOF, DEVDEP, DBM, DHSUD, and CSC. The trend may reflect general public wariness of government performance amid persistent social and economic challenges.
While most agencies maintain stable approval, public perception highlights gaps in performance, particularly among agencies directly linked to governance, economic management, and legislative functions. The DPWH’s recovery stands out as a model of how leadership and visible results can translate into public confidence.
PEOY-2025 is an independent, non-commissioned nationwide purposive sampling survey conducted from December 7 to 10, 2025, comprising 1,500 respondents who are registered Filipino voters, randomly selected from the market research panel of PureSpectrum, a US-based panel marketplace with global operations and a regional office in Singapore.
PAHAYAG is a CSR of PUBLiCUS Asia Inc., which has tracked key metrics since 2017, while Vox Opinion Research is its commissioned research arm since 2007.
