Pulse Asia: 94% of Filipinos say corruption in Philippine government is widespread
MANILA, Philippines — Ninety-four percent of Filipino adults believe that corruption in the Philippine government is widespread, according to the latest survey by Pulse Asia Research Inc.
Pulse Asia’s Ulat ng Bayan national survey, conducted in December 2025, showed that this perception was shared by most adults across geographic regions and socio-economic classes.
In the National Capital Region, 96 percent of respondents said corruption in the Philippines is widespread. The same view was shared by 93 percent of respondents in Balance Luzon, 96 percent in the Visayas, and 94 percent in Mindanao.
Pulse Asia also found that 74 percent of adults believe corruption in the Philippine government has increased over the past 12 months, although this figure is lower than the 85 percent recorded in September 2025.
When asked whether they agree or disagree with the view that corruption is a normal part of Philippine politics, 43 percent of respondents said they disagreed, while 41 percent said they agreed.
Pulse Asia’s data showed that 58 percent of Mindanao residents and 51 percent of those belonging to Class C do not see corruption as a normal part of Philippine politics, while near majorities of Metro Manila residents (50 percent) and Visayans (48 percent) believe otherwise. It also noted a three-way split among Class E respondents: 39 percent agreed that corruption is a normal part of the country’s politics, 32 percent were ambivalent, and 28 percent disagreed.
Actions perceived as corrupt
In the same survey, Pulse asked respondents which of the following actions they consider corrupt: accepting or giving bribes, misuse of public funds, offering or receiving kickbacks, evading taxes, insider trading, nepotism, and undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Among these seven options, the majority identified accepting or giving bribes (74 percent), misusing public funds or company resources (66 percent), and offering or receiving kickbacks (64 percent) as corrupt.
At the national level, other actions seen as corrupt by Filipino adults include evading taxes or regulatory requirements (42 percent), insider trading or financial fraud (42 percent), nepotism or favoritism in hiring or promotions (39 percent), and failure to disclose conflicts of interest (21 percent), Pulse said.
“Numerically speaking, the non-disclosure of conflicts of interest is the least often mentioned action across areas and classes,” it said.
“Between September 2025 and December 2025, the only significant overall changes are the decline in the percentages of those who consider either the non-disclosure of conflicts of interest or insider trading or financial fraud as corrupt acts,” it added.
Pulse Asia said its survey was conducted from December 12 to 15, 2025, using face-to-face interviews. It was based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults aged 18 and above.
It has a ±2.8 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level, while subnational estimates for the surveyed geographic areas have a ±5.7 percent error margin at the same confidence level for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The Philippine government has faced intense corruption controversies in recent months due to large-scale scandals involving government infrastructure and flood-control funds.
Investigations uncovered alleged ghost projects, kickbacks, and misuse of billions of pesos, sparking public outrage, especially as these funds were intended to protect communities from disasters. These incidents have highlighted long-standing issues such as weak enforcement, patronage politics, and political dynasties, prompting protests, declining public trust, and concerns over economic and investor confidence.
Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2165708/pulse-asia-94-of-filipinos-say-corruption-in-ph-govt-is-widespread
