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BAM, RISA, KIKO TOP RATINGS IN PUBLICUS ASIA'S Q1 'PAHAYAG' SURVEY

Sen. Bam Aquino, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros, and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan led the latest performance ratings of elected officials, according to the first quarter 2026 "Pahayag" survey conducted by Publicus Asia.

The survey showed Aquino topping the rankings with a 59% net favorable rating, including 30% of respondents who described him as "very favorable." He was followed by Hontiveros and Pangilinan, who both posted 50% net favorable ratings, with strong "very favorable" scores of 25% and 23%, respectively.

In contrast, the poll found that half of Filipinos, or 50%, expressed disapproval of the overall performance of Cabinet members under the Marcos administration—virtually unchanged from 51% in the previous quarter—indicating continued public dissatisfaction with executive governance.

Meanwhile, several public figures registered high unfavorable ratings. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada recorded the highest net unfavorable rating at 58%, including 36% who viewed him as "very unfavorable." Sen. Camille Villar followed at 56%, also with 36% "very unfavorable," while Sen. Bato Dela Rosa posted a 54% net unfavorable rating, including 39% "very unfavorable."

Sen. Mark Villar likewise registered a 53% net unfavorable rating, with 33% of respondents describing him as "very unfavorable."

The "Pahayag" survey for the first quarter of 2026 was conducted from March 21 to 24 using nationwide purposive sampling of 1,509 respondents drawn from a panel of registered Filipino voters. It forms part of Publicus Asia's quarterly tracking of public sentiment on governance, national issues, and political figures.

Source: iMPACT Leadership

THROWBACK: DUTERTE SAYS NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT HIGH FUEL PRICES

On February 11, 2019, then-President Rodrigo Duterte admitted he could not control rising fuel prices, noting that the Philippines is heavily reliant on imported oil.

Speaking at the distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) to farmers in Buluan, Maguindanao, Duterte said:

"Alam mo ngayon, wala tayong oil. So, every time tataas 'yung oil, automatic tataas lahat 'yan. 'Yan hindi natin ma— Even if you hang me, wala tayong magawa. Bitayin mo man ako, 'pag tumaas 'yung oil, tataas talaga 'yung presyo because everything that you see is a product of oil."

Duterte explained that the Philippines has no buffer or reserve to shield the economy from global oil price hikes, unlike countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia, which have domestic oil resources.

He noted that high oil costs were a key driver of the country's inflation, which reached a nine-year high of 6.4 percent in August 2018. Inflation, however, eased to 4.4 percent in January 2019 from 5.1 percent in December 2018.

At the time, Duterte had approved the next tranche of fuel excise tax hikes under the government's Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, which took effect in January 2019.

Source: iMPACT Leadership

RISA WARNS VS FAKE NEWS, AI CONTENT

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Thursday called on the public to remain vigilant against the spread of fake news and AI-generated content targeting her and her office, urging Filipinos not to be misled by what she described as coordinated disinformation.

In a statement issued on April 2, Hontiveros appealed to the public to reject "fake news peddlers," who she said continue to spread false information against her, even during the observance of Holy Week.

"Pakiusap sa ating mga kababayan: Huwag po tayo magpadala sa fake news peddlers na overtime sa pagpapakalat ng kasinungalingan laban sa akin at sa aking opisina," she said.

The senator expressed concern that fabricated and AI-generated content are being used to manipulate public attention and distort facts.

"Kahit ngayong Semana Santa, imbes na gumawa ng tama ay wala silang tigil sa pagpapakalat ng fake news at fake AI content, para abusuhin ang inyong atensyon," she added.

Hontiveros urged the public to remain discerning and not allow falsehoods to prevail.

"Huwag natin hayaan manaig ang kasinungalingan nila," she said.

Source: iMPACT Leadership