94 percent see widespread corruption in government – Pulse Asia

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January 10, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Although slightly lower than in a previous poll, almost all Filipinos still believe that corruption is widespread in the government.

Pulse Asia’s Dec. 12 to 15 survey found that 94 percent of the respondents see widespread corruption in the government, slightly down from 97 percent in a similar poll conducted in September.

In the recent survey, 71 percent said corruption was “very widespread,” while 24 percent said it was “somewhat” widespread.

One percent said corruption is not widespread, almost similar to 0.6 percent in the previous poll, while five percent said they cannot say if it is widespread or not, up from two percent.

Some 74 percent of the respondents believed that corruption in government increased in the past year, down from 85 percent in September.

Seven percent said corruption decreased, up from three percent, while those who said it stayed the same increased from 12 percent to 19 percent.

On whether corruption is a normal part of Philippine politics, 41 percent said they agree, while 43 percent disagreed. The remaining 17 percent (rounded off) said they cannot say if they agree or disagree with the statement.

Asked which actions they consider as corrupt, whether in public or private sector, a majority selected accepting or giving bribes (74 percent), misuse of public funds or company resources (66 percent) and offering or receiving kickbacks (64 percent).

Other “corrupt” practices included evading taxes or regulatory requirements (42 percent), insider trading or financial fraud (42 percent), nepotism or favoritism in hiring or promotions (39 percent) and non-disclosure of conflicts of interest (21 percent).

The survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus 2.8 percent.