MANILA, Philippines — Despite the political tensions surrounding the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, more than half of Filipinos expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Philippine Senate, according to a nationwide Pulse Asia survey conducted in June 2025.

The poll found that 53 percent of Filipinos approved of the Senate’s performance, marking an 8-point rise from 45 percent in March 2024. The increase in approval comes amid growing public scrutiny and fierce debates within the chamber over the high-profile impeachment proceedings.

Public indecision over the Senate’s work dropped to 28 percent from 34 percent, while disapproval also declined to 18 percent from 21 percent.

The surge in approval was consistent across the country, with the National Capital Region and Visayas both registering 64 percent, and Mindanao at 52 percent. Approval also rose across all economic classes—up from 37 to 46 percent among Class ABC, 45 to 55 percent among Class D, and 46 to 54 percent among Class E.

The Senate’s improved ratings coincided with a spike in legislative productivity in the 19th Congress under the leadership of Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero. The chamber passed 216 laws during the Third Regular Session alone—nearly triple the combined 73 laws passed in the First and Second Regular Sessions.

Additionally, the Senate produced 96 measures for presidential approval in the last session, a fourfold increase compared to the 23 measures from the previous two sessions combined. Measures passed on third reading also rose from 14 in the first two sessions to 42 in the third.

The Senate is set to open the 20th Congress on July 28, 2025.