2 months ago
38
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Janvic Mateo - The Philippine Star
January 13, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Although still a majority, a smaller percentage of Filipinos now believe that government officials responsible for irregularities in flood control projects will be punished, a Pulse Asia survey found.
From 71 percent in September, the figure dropped by 12 points to 59 percent in the latest survey conducted from Dec. 12 to 15.
It was composed of 22 percent who believed that involved officials “will definitely” be punished (down from 40 percent) and 37 percent who said that they “will likely” be punished (up from 31 percent).
Those who believed that responsible officials will not be punished increased from eight percent to 13 percent, while those who cannot say if culprits will be punished also increased from 21 percent to 28 percent.
The survey also found that less than a majority is confident that the Philippine justice system can successfully prosecute high-level corruption cases.
Forty-four percent said they were confident of prosecution, while 24 percent were not confident. The remaining 33 percent cannot say if they were confident or not.
Asked about the biggest factor that could affect a court’s decision in the flood control cases, 51 percent cited government officials’ use of their influence to avoid conviction.
Twenty-five percent cited the quality of evidence, while 16 percent said it would be the length of the trial. The remaining eight percent selected fairness on the part of the judge.
Media most trusted
Meanwhile, respondents were also surveyed about the trustworthiness of select individuals and institutions in addressing the problem of corruption in flood control projects.
Like in the previous survey, journalists emerged as the most trusted among the choices, with 54 percent saying they have big trust in the media (up from 51 percent in September).
Ranked second were civil society organizations with a trust rating of 47 percent (down from 50 percent).
Only 30 percent trust that President Marcos would be able to address the problem of flood control corruption (down from 32 percent), while 48 percent said they had little trust in him (up from 45 percent).
Fewer people also trust the Office of the Ombudsman (28 percent, down from 39 percent) and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (18 percent, down from 39 percent).
Meanwhile, the Senate and the House obtained trust ratings of 37 percent (no change) and 31 percent (up from 25 percent), respectively.
More Filipinos now trust the Department of Public Works and Highways (13 percent, up from seven percent), but the majority still have small or no trust in the agency (59 percent, down from 81 percent).
Pulse Asia’s fourth quarter survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus 2.8 percent.
Palace optimistic
Reacting to the survey, Malacañang expressed optimism, saying a majority of Filipinos believe that those behind the flood control corruption will face serious consequences.
“So, this is a positive development because they know that those who should be held accountable could be jailed,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing.
The Palace press officer also noted that a majority of the survey respondents believed that the President could resolve the issue of corruption.
“He is the only one who has the courage to do what is right for the people even if this would affect his administration,” she added.
Ombudsman dismisses recantation
Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed as just “noise” the unconfirmed reports that former top engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan are considering to recant their testimonies on the supposed receipt of kickbacks of several senators and congressmen in the flood control scam.
“Seems like noise to us. We will only rely on sworn statements,” Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano told reporters in a Viber message.
“Besides, that would hurt their admission into witness protection,” he added.
The Department of Justice over the weekend also denied reports that dismissed DPWH district engineer Henry Alcantara had recanted his testimony. — Helen Flores, Elizabeth Marcelo
