87% of Filipinos Believe the “Maleta” Allegations Are True, and the Story Has Fused With President Marcos Personally

A nationwide Pulso Intelligence tracker of the aware public finds belief in the “maleta” cash allegations effectively locked in, trust in every investigating body sitting below the scale midpoint, and the political fallout landing hardest on President Marcos and administration-aligned candidates — while the opposition has yet to convert any of it into gains of its own.

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According to the second wave of a nationwide Pulso Intelligence Labs, Inc. issue-tracking survey of 1,979 respondents already aware of the “maleta” suitcase-money allegations, 87.0% of respondents say the allegations that government officials received suitcases of cash linked to corruption or kickbacks are “definitely” or “somewhat” true, against just 2.7% who say they are not true. Top-of-mind recall on the issue has broadened well past its “flood control” origins into a general corruption story (48.7% unaided), and on the “who comes to mind” follow-up, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is the single most-named figure (20.3%), ahead of contractor Zaldy Co (13.3%) and Speaker Martin Romualdez (8.9%).

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The institutions tasked with investigating the matter inspire little confidence. On a 1–5 scale, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (2.58), the Ombudsman (2.48), the Department of Justice (2.63), and other government bodies (2.45) all sit below the scale midpoint, with “no confidence” responses outnumbering “confident” ones by roughly two to one across all four. The political cost is concentrated and asymmetric: net trust in President Marcos has fallen by 56.7 points because of the issue, and administration-aligned candidates face a net 2028 vote-impact score of –46.0, against a comparatively flat +4.4 for opposition candidates — an anti-incumbent mood that has not yet consolidated into a pro-opposition one.

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K E Y F I G U R E S

• 87.0% believe the “maleta” allegations are “definitely” or “somewhat” true; only 2.7% say they are not true.
• Top-of-mind recall on the issue itself has generalized to corruption overall (48.7%), ahead of the original “stolen/unexplained money in a suitcase” frame (32.7%) and the flood control scandal specifically (6.7%)
• President Marcos (BBM) is the single most-named personality on unaided recall (20.3%), ahead of Zaldy Co (13.3%) and Martin Romualdez (8.9%).
• Every top-of-mind personality tracked draws net-negative sentiment, from Rodante Marcoleta (net –83) and Martin Romualdez (net –74) to President Marcos himself (net –61).
• Confidence in every investigating body sits below the scale midpoint (Senate Blue Ribbon 2.58, DOJ 2.63, Ombudsman 2.48, other government bodies 2.45, all on a 1–5 scale), with “no confidence” outnumbering “confident” responses roughly 2-to-1.
• 78.3% rate the issue a 4 or 5 out of 5 on personal relevance — this is not a niche news story.
• Net Trust Score for President Marcos has moved –56.7 because of the issue, deepest in Eastern Visayas (–74) and South Mindanao (–69), softest in North Luzon (–43).
• Net 2028 vote-impact score is –46.0 for administration-aligned candidates against just +4.4 for opposition candidates, a 50.4-point gap.

“The people are angered by the ‘maleta issue,’ alongside its narrative broadening towards general corruption. The people have a general idea of who to blame, but are still unsure of who the good guys are.” — Abraham Eleazar D. Quintos, Chief Executive Officer, Pulso Intelligence Labs, Inc.

Abraham Eleazar D. Quintos, Chief Executive Officer, Pulso Intelligence Labs, Inc.

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About this report

This report presents the findings of the second wave of a Pulso Intelligence Labs, Inc. issue-tracking survey on the “maleta” suitcase-money allegations. It is intended for internal strategic use. The summary above sets out the headline results; the full findings, including each question, the response distributions, and the demographic and regional breakdowns, follow in the pages after it. The methodology and the firm’s independence statement appear at the end.

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How to read the figures

Unless otherwise noted, all percentages are based on 1,979 respondents surveyed through the Pulso Intelligence app and the Pulso Intelligence mini app inside GCash, rebalanced to reflect national and regional demographic voter composition. All respondents had already heard of the “maleta” allegations at screening, so this is a study of the aware public, not the general population. Where a figure is based on a subgroup rather than the whole sample, the base and its size are stated beneath the relevant table. Subgroups below thirty unweighted respondents (marked with an asterisk) are directional only. Figures may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

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Use and attribution

These results are prepared by Pulso Intelligence Labs, Inc. for internal client use.

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About Pulso Intelligence

Pulso Intelligence Labs, Inc. (“Pulso Intelligence”) is an independent public opinion and market sentiment research firm, and the research arm of Geronimo Law. It maintains a verified respondent network of more than 1.6 million panel members across all 17 regions of the Philippines, and conducts socio-political and policy polling, brand and market research, and qualitative and deliberative studies.

This survey was designed, conducted, and funded solely by Pulso Intelligence Labs, Inc. No partisan group, candidate, political party, or commissioning interest influenced the survey or the reporting of its results.

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Inquiries

Pulso Intelligence Labs, Inc.

c/o Geronimo Law, 610 VGP Center, Ayala Avenue, Makati City, Philippines

www.pulsointelligence.com