Majority of Filipinos outraged by flood control corruption scandal – survey

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

The Marcos administration's approval rating for its efforts to fight corruption drops to 17% in September, down from 28% in June, according to Pulse Asia

MANILA, Philippines – Sixty percent of adult Filipinos are outraged by the corruption in government infrastructure projects, according to Octa Research survey.

“Most adult Filipinos (60%) reported feeling anger or outrage when they think about corruption in government, particularly in projects such as flood control initiatives. This strong emotional response highlights the public’s continued frustration over the misuse of public funds in infrastructure programs and may suggest declining confidence in the integrity of public institutions,” Octa said.

The survey was conducted from September 25 to 30, 2025, among 1,200 respondents through face-to-face interviews. It has a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of ±3%.

Across major geographical areas, anger or outrage is highest in Balance Luzon (64%), followed by Visayas (63%), then the National Capital Region (59%), and Mindanao (46%).

Notably, anger is also the dominant emotion among the ABC class (70%) and the highest among the socio-economic classes.

“Across age groups, the majority of adult Filipinos expressed anger or outrage over corruption in government projects — an emotion especially pronounced among younger Filipinos, particularly Gen Z and millennials,” Octa noted.

Meanwhile, the anger emotion is slightly lower at 44% among those aged 65 to 74. 

Similarly, a Pulse Asia survey conducted in September showed that corruption (51%) is the second most important issue for Filipinos, following inflation, which topped the list at 54%. Concern about corruption rose significantly from 24% in the June survey, while concern over inflation dropped from 62% during the same period.

Notably, the Marcos administration’s approval rating for its efforts to fight corruption dropped to 17% in September, down from 28% in June.

Who should lead the probe?

Forty-six percent of Filipinos believe that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is the “most suitable” body to investigate the flood control scandal.

“This finding reflects a strong public preference for a credible, impartial, and non-political inquiry into corruption allegations. Support for the ICI is consistent across all major areas and socioeconomic classes, with particularly high trust levels in the National Capital Region (60%) and among Class ABC (63%),” Octa said.

The Senate blue ribbon committee is second with only 23% of Filipinos believing that it is the “appropriate institution” to lead the probe. The Senate panel held its last public inquiry on September 25, when several senators were named as recipients of alleged kickbacks from the infrastructure projects.

The Senate committee has yet to schedule its next hearing, pending the appointment of a new chairman. Senator Erwin Tulfo, the panel’s vice chair, has been designated as acting chair. However, critics argue that the Senate lacks the integrity to lead the investigation, as some of its members have been implicated in the controversy.

– Rappler.com