A big number of adult Filipinos have high trust and confidence in the Armed Forces and the PNP, the OCTA Research survey conducted from July 12 to 17 showed.
In its Tugon ng Masa survey, OCTA said the AFP and the PNP are among the “most trusted and best-performing government agencies” in the country based on the results.
Eighty-one percent of those surveyed said they “strongly trust” the AFP, 2 percent “strongly distrust,” 24 percent “strongly trust,” 16 percent were undecided, while no one “strongly distrusts, strongly distrusts, not aware, don’t know, or refused.”
The AFP got a 73 percent trust rating in the National Capital Region, 79 percent in Balance Luzon, 83 percent in the Visayas region, and 87 percent in Mindanao. Seventy percent of the adult Filipinos surveyed who trust the AFP came from social classes A, B and C; 81 percent were from social class D, and 87 percent from social class E.
“The AFP’s trust rating ranges from 74 percent to 88 percent across age groups. It received its highest trust rating among adult Filipinos aged 25 to 34, and its lowest among those aged 65 to 74. Distrust remains low, at most 5 percent across all age groups. Meanwhile, ambivalence towards the AFP’s trustworthiness ranges from 9 percent to 25 percent, highest among those aged 65 to 74 and lowest among those aged 25 to 34,” the survey firm said.
The AFP’s trust rating increased by 16 percentage points, from 65 percent in the April 2025 TNM survey to 81 percent in the Octa Research survey from July 12 to 17.
Across all major areas, the survey firm said the AFP’s trust rating rose by at least 7 percentage points, the most notable of which was observed in the Visayas region at 21 percentage points, Balance Luzon with 16 percentage points, and Mindanao at 13 percentage points.
By social classes, the AFP’s trust rating rose by 17 percentage points among class D and class E, while classes A, B, and C declined by 4 percentage points.
The Octa survey said that 82 percent of adult Filipinos were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the AFP’s performance the past three months when the survey was conducted, of which 76 percent were from NCR, 80 percent from Balance Luzon, 82 from the Visayas region, and 89 percent in Mindanao.
Social classes A, B, and C rated the AFP’s satisfaction rating at 65 percent, 84 percent from social class D, and 81 percent from social class E.
Only 3 percent of those surveyed think that they are “very dissatisfied/somewhat dissatisfied” with the AFP.
“Performance ratings for the Armed Forces of the Philippines vary across age groups, ranging from 72 percent to 90 percent. The highest approval comes from adult Filipinos aged 25 to 34, while those aged 45 to 54 give the lowest ratings. Ambivalence is notably higher among respondents aged 45 to 54 (23 percent) and those aged 75 and up (20 percent),” it said.
The survey company said the AFP got a significant boost in its performance rating, rising 17 percentage points from 65 percent in the April 2025 TNM survey to 82 percent in the latest survey.
The AFP’s performance ratings increased across all major areas, gaining 13 to 26 percentage points.
The same survey said that 71 percent of adult Filipinos trust the PNP, of which 58 percent were from the NCR, 73 from Balance Luzon, 77 percent in the Visayas region, and 72 percent in Mindanao. Fifty-four percent of the respondents said they “somewhat trust” the police.
Social classes A, B, and C registered a trust rating of 55 percent, while social class D tallied 71 percent, and social class E at 83 percent.
Fifty-four percent of the respondents “somewhat trust” the PNP, while only 1 percent “strongly distrust” the police.
“Trust in the Philippine National Police among adult Filipinos varies across age groups, ranging from 64 percent to 79 percent. The highest trust rating is observed among those aged 55 to 64, while the lowest trust rating is recorded among those aged 45 to 54. Distrust remains relatively low across all age groups, peaking at 10 percent. Ambivalence toward the PNP’s trustworthiness is notably high, ranging from 17 percent among those aged 65 to 74 to as much as 26 percent among those aged 35 to 44 and 45 to 54,” Octa said.
The firm said that the trust rating of the PNP rose by 9 percentage points, from 62 percent in the April 2025 TNM survey to 71 percent in the latest round.
“Across major regions, the PNP saw notable increases in trust, gaining 11 points in NCR, 10 points in Balance Luzon, and eight points each in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Among socioeconomic classes, trust rose sharply by 17 points in class E and nine points in class D, while it declined by seven points in classes ABC.
The survey also said that 73 adult Filipinos were “very satisfied” with the PNP’s performance, while 7 percent were “very dissatisfied.”
“Performance ratings for the Philippine National Police vary across age groups, ranging from 66 percent to 78 percent. The highest satisfaction comes from adult Filipinos aged 55 to 64, while the lowest rating is among those aged 18 to 24. Dissatisfaction remains low, reaching at most 10 percent across all age groups. Ambivalence ranges from 15 percent among those aged 55 to 64 to 24 percent among the youngest (18 to 24) and oldest (75 and up) age groups,” the firm said.
OCTA said the PNP’s performance rating inched up by 11 percentage points, from 62 percent in the April 2025 TNM survey to 73 percent in the July 12-17 survey.
AFP HONORED
The Armed Forces is honored by the 82 percent satisfaction and 81 percent trust ratings it received from the public.
In a statement, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the military “welcomes with deep gratitude” the result of the survey.
Padilla said the result “reflects not just institutional performance, but the collective trust of the Filipino people, which continues to guide and inspire the men and women in uniform.
“We are especially honored that the AFP remains in the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens,” said Padilla.
He said the survey result is a validation of the AFP’s “steadfast commitment and a call to remain vigilant, disciplined, and dedicated in every domain where we are needed – whether defending our territory, responding to disasters, assisting in development, or confronting emerging challenges in cyberspace.”
“To the Filipino people — thank you very much. We draw strength from your trust. You are our mission. You are the reason we serve,” Padilla said.
In a separate statement, the AFP said the military leadership “extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Filipino people, whose continued trust strengthens the AFP’s resolve to serve.”
“Guided by this public confidence, the AFP remains firmly committed to its mission of protecting the nation and advancing peace, security, and development with excellence and integrity,” the statement added.
