MANILA, Philippines — Public trust in the Philippine National Police has improved again, giving the country’s national police force fresh momentum — and an equally important warning that confidence remains far from uniform across the Philippines.
The PNP secured a 65% nationwide trust rating and a 63% satisfaction or performance rating in OCTA Research’s second-quarter 2026 Tugon ng Masa survey, according to results released this week.
Both figures improved by two percentage points from the previous survey in March, when the PNP registered 63% trust and 61% satisfaction.
For the police leadership, the increase is being treated not simply as recognition, but as pressure to deliver better service.
PNP spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co said the improved public confidence should push police personnel to strengthen discipline and integrity while making police services faster, more responsive and more visible to ordinary Filipinos.
The PNP also pledged to intensify police visibility, improve response to incidents, strengthen its campaign against crime and expand cooperation with local governments and communities.
Two Out of Three Filipinos Now Trust the PNP
The survey suggests that roughly two out of every three Filipino adults currently express trust in the national police.
Of those surveyed, 65% said they trusted the PNP, while 13% expressed distrust and 23% were undecided, according to figures reported by Pang-Masa.
On performance, 63% said they were satisfied, compared with 17% who were dissatisfied.
The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews from July 4 to 11, 2026, involving 1,200 Filipino adults nationwide.
OCTA surveys using the same Q2 sample carried a ±3-percentage-point margin of error at the 95% confidence level.
But the national average does not tell the entire story.
Visayas Leads in Trust — Metro Manila Falls Far Behind
Regional results reveal one of the most significant findings of the survey.
The PNP’s trust rating reached:
- 70% in the Visayas
- 69% in Balance Luzon
- 67% in Mindanao
- 40% in Metro Manila
The regional satisfaction results showed a similar divide.
The PNP received 67% satisfaction in both the Visayas and Mindanao, 65% in Balance Luzon — but only 43% in the National Capital Region.
That means the strongest challenge for the police may not simply be raising its national rating further.
It may be figuring out why confidence in Metro Manila remains dramatically lower than in other regions — and what it will take to close that gap.
More Filipinos Also Say They Feel Safe
Another OCTA finding released Tuesday adds important context to the PNP’s improving numbers.
Around 72% of respondents said they feel safe in their neighborhoods, while 68% said they were not afraid to walk alone at night.
Another 54% said they were not worried about burglars entering their homes.
Co attributed the results partly to the strategic deployment of police personnel, particularly during periods and in locations where police visibility is considered most necessary.
However, the PNP itself acknowledged that stronger perceptions of safety do not mean crime has disappeared.
Police officials said crimes continue to occur and stressed that the real issue is whether authorities respond quickly and resolve cases effectively.
Crime Statistics Are Also Moving Downward
The survey results come alongside PNP data showing declines in several categories of reported crime.
The police reported that the country’s eight so-called focus crimes fell 20.6% during the second quarter of 2026, from 9,506 incidents between January 6 and April 5 to 7,883 incidents between April 6 and July 4.
Those focus crimes include murder, homicide, rape, physical injury, robbery, theft and the two categories of carnapping.
More recently, PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. reported that 2,209 focus crimes were recorded nationwide in July 2026, compared with 3,458 in July 2025 — a reported decline of 36.12% year-on-year.
The downward trend did not begin this year.
PNP records showed focus crimes declined from 40,771 incidents in 2024 to 35,717 in 2025, representing a 12.4% reduction.
The numbers offer the police organization evidence that its intensified deployment, faster response programs and anti-crime operations may be producing measurable gains.
But survey approval and official crime statistics measure different things.
One reflects how people feel about the police. The other reflects incidents recorded by the police.
Neither alone can determine whether every Filipino community is becoming safer.
The Bigger Challenge: Turning Trust Into Everyday Experience
A rising survey rating is politically and institutionally important for an organization whose effectiveness depends heavily on cooperation from the public.
Citizens are more likely to report crimes, provide information and cooperate with investigations when they believe police officers will respond fairly and effectively.
That makes trust more than a public-relations number.
It can directly affect policing.
But higher ratings also create higher expectations.
If the PNP wants the latest survey gains to become sustainable rather than temporary, the next phase will depend on what ordinary citizens experience when they call a police station, report a crime, encounter officers on the street or ask authorities for help.
Nartatez has said the PNP will not become complacent following the favorable results and will continue reviewing and adjusting its peace-and-order strategies.
That promise may now matter more than the survey itself.
Because while 65% national trust is a significant vote of confidence, the 40% rating in Metro Manila shows that millions of Filipinos remain unconvinced.
The numbers are moving in the PNP’s favor.
Whether everyday policing can move with them will be the real test.
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