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MANILA, Philippines — Why Filipinos distrust President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. depends largely on where they stand in the country’s class structure, according to an analysis of Pulse Asia data by University of the Philippines Diliman professor and Inquirer data scientist Dr. Rogelio Alicor Panao.
Using results from the Pulse Asia survey conducted from Feb. 27 to March 2, 2026, Panao found that dissatisfaction with the President is not driven by a single national concern. Instead, the reasons vary sharply across income groups, revealing what he described as a “sharp class divide” in presidential distrust.
For poorer Filipinos in Class E, distrust is tied mainly to unmet expectations and perceived neglect in governance. Among respondents in the country’s lowest socioeconomic class, the top complaint was that the President “hindi tumutupad sa pangako” (does not keep promises), cited by 25.1 percent. Another 20.6 percent said Marcos was “walang nagawa / hindi gumaganap ng kanyang tungkulin” (has done nothing / not performing his duties).
“This implies poorer Filipinos are evaluating governance not through abstract economic indicators but through concrete, day-to-day experience,” Panao said in his analysis.
