A recent nationwide survey has revealed a slight but significant decline in the optimism of Filipinos as they enter the new year. The findings come amidst a major corruption scandal that has gripped the nation.
Survey Shows a Downward Trend in Optimism
According to the latest poll conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS), 89 percent of adult Filipinos entered 2026 with hope. However, this figure marks a continued decline from previous years, dropping from 90 percent in 2024 and a much higher 96 percent in 2023.
This year's rating is notably the lowest recorded level of hope since 2009. The remaining 11 percent of respondents said they faced the new year with fear or anxiety. The survey was carried out from November 24 to 30, 2025, and its results were publicly released on December 31.
The Shadow of the Trillion-Peso Flood Control Scandal
While the SWS survey did not directly probe the causes for the dampened spirits, its timing is highly suggestive. It was conducted in the wake of the explosive flood control scandal involving an estimated one trillion pesos in alleged corruption.
In response to the scandal, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. vowed that officials, contractors, and others involved would have no merry Christmas, promising that those who stole public funds would be imprisoned before the holiday. Despite this strong rhetoric, the sheer scale of the case presents a major hurdle: the due process of law.
One contractor, Sarah Discaya, has already been charged and is currently detained at the Lapu-Lapu City Jail. Yet, investigators face the immense challenge of determining who else to hold accountable in a web of complex transactions.
Questions Over Billions in DPWH Funds
The scandal has also ignited debates over the allocation of massive infrastructure budgets. Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste revealed that the Cebu 7th District was allotted a staggering P32.87 billion from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from 2023 to 2026.
This district encompasses the towns of Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara, Moalboal, Badian, Alegria, Malabuyoc, and Ginatilan. The former congressman for the area, Peter John Calderon, clarified that he did not control these funds, stating they were DPWH projects. He acknowledged that the budget under his personal discretion for local needs was only between P150 million to P200 million per year.
The revelation of the P32.87 billion allocation has raised eyebrows, with Calderon himself questioning its sudden appearance, likening it to a mushroom that sprouts after rain and lightning.
The confluence of a high-profile corruption case and questions about massive government spending appears to have cast a pall over the public mood, as reflected in the SWS survey's record-low hope rating.
