Pinoys see less worsening graft amid scandal that's implicated lawmakers but detained none

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January 9, 2026 | 1:31pm

MANILA, Philippines — Fewer Filipinos believe corruption got worse in the past year despite a far-reaching scandal that has implicated several current and former lawmakers but detained none of them, according to a new poll released Friday, January 9.

Three in four adults (74%) said corruption increased in the last 12 months before the poll, down from 85% who said the same in September, according to a Pulse Asia survey conducted from December 12 to 15. 

The 11-percentage-point drop came as the Independent Commission for Inquiry churned out multiple reports recommending the filing of charges against present and former lawmakers and Department of Public Works and Highways executives, and the government freezes assets linked to ghost infrastructure projects.

The Sandiganbayan earlier declared former congressman Elizaldy Co — who led the powerful House appropriations panel prior to his resignation in January 2025 — a fugitive on December 10. Meanwhile, former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin resigned on November 17 after Co accused him of relaying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s alleged requests for P100 billion in budget insertions.

The decline in the perceived worsening of corruption suggests that either the public has grown desensitized to successive revelations of graft, or that the government's prosecutions — seven detentions so far of contractors and DPWH officials — are beginning to register as concrete action to the public.

The survey period captured a moment when the scandal appeared to shift from mere congressional hearings that bore allegations of corruption to actual legal action. Days before the poll was conducted, the passports of Co and three people who worked for his construction firm, Sunwest Corp., were revoked. They were also declared fugitives of justice.

In a separate scandal, anti-corruption advocates and civil society groups filed plunder charges against Vice President Sara Duterte over P612.5 million in confidential funds during the survey period on December 12.

So far, the ICI has recommended filing charges against three senators — Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada and former senator Bong Revilla Jr. — for allegedly pocketing kickbacks from flood control projects.

Still, according to the survey, most of the country has a universal view that corruption in government is well-entrenched. 

An overwhelming 94% of Filipinos say corruption in government is widespread, unchanged from September. Seven in 10 call it "very widespread," though this dropped seven points from the previous survey.  

Cabinet shakeup, continued protests

Between the September and December surveys, the Marcos administration experienced its most serious political crisis over corruption allegations that had, at the time, not yet touched the close circle of the president.

Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman stepped down from their posts on November 17 after Co — himself fleeing prosecution — released videos from an undisclosed location claiming the president ordered him to insert questionable projects into the 2025 budget. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto replaced Bersamin, while Budget Undersecretary Rolando Toledo took over from Pangandaman.

The former executive secretary later told reporters he did not actually resign, saying he merely "bowed to the prerogative of the president."

The three-month window between surveys also saw two major waves of anti-corruption demonstrations. On September 21, tens of thousands gathered at Luneta Park and the People Power Monument along EDSA for the "Baha sa Luneta" and "Trillion Peso March" protests, where they bannered demands to arrest and prosecute officials involved in the anomalous flood control works.

A second wave of protests on November 30 drew more than 20,000, with organizers demanding accountability for the government's perceived inaction on the flood control scandal, even as several officials and contractors have been exposed for their involvement in irregularities.  

Split on whether graft is 'normal'

The survey found Filipinos nearly evenly divided on whether corruption is simply how Philippine politics works. 

Forty-one percent agreed that "corruption is a normal part of politics in our country," while 43% disagreed.  

Most Mindanawons (58%) and those in Class C (51%) rejected the idea that corruption is normal, while near majorities in Metro Manila (50%) and the Visayas (48%) believed otherwise.  

There is, however, some level of consistency among geographic and socioeconomiv groups on what actions count as corruption.  

When asked what constitutes corruption, 74% of adults cited accepting or giving bribes, 66% pointed to misusing public funds or company resources, and 64% identified offering or receiving kickbacks for contracts or services. 

The Pulse Asia survey was conducted from December 12 to 15, 2025, using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.