Trust and satisfaction rating of the Senate declined following a series of incidents, including the change of leadership in last few months, a survey by OCTA Research showedx.

The Tugon ng Masa nationwide survey shows that public trust went down from 44 percent to 41 percent, while distrust increased from 24 percent to 27 percent.

The survey noted that satisfaction with the Senate performance also declined from 42 percent to 38 percent, while dissatisfaction increased from 27 percent to 32 percent.

"The 2nd Quarter 2026 TNM survey was fielded from July 4 to 11, 2026, a period that overlapped with the leadership row and eventual leadership change in the Senate," OCTA said.

"Moreover, the survey also coincides with the opening days of the Senate’s impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, which convened as an impeachment court on July 6, 2026," it added.

Incidents that happened before the survey was conducted include the attempted arrest of the agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Senator Ronald Dela Rosa who appeared before the Senate to elect Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as the next Senate president and unseat Senator Vicente Sotto III last May 11.

On May 13, a shooting incident also transpired inside the Senate premises, when Dela Rosa who was seeking refuge inside the building, escaped after the gun fires.

After Dela Rosa escaped, a month-long leadership crisis occurred in the Senate and just ended when Senator Sherwin Gatchalian secured the votes needed to be formally elected Senate President during a special session last June 18.

Just before the start of the impeachment trial of Duterte, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta were detained due to plunder cases. Robina Asido/PHS