05/06/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐
The latest RPMD Foundation Inc. โ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐๐งโ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฑ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐) survey identifies the most trusted and best-performing city mayors in Western Visayas, highlighting local chief executives who have earned the strongest constituent evaluations in both public trust and governance performance.
The findings reveal a growing trend among urban voters in the region: mayors are increasingly being evaluated based on their ability to deliver services, manage city affairs effectively, maintain accessibility to constituents, and provide visible leadership in addressing local concerns. The results suggest that governance performance has become a primary driver of public approval, reinforcing the principle that trust and effectiveness remain central to local leadership.
The findings form part of RPMD Foundation Inc.'s nationwide โBoses ng Bayanโ Governance Assessment Program, conducted from April 1 to 8, 2026, which effectively covers the first quarter of the year and provides a comprehensive review of local governance performance throughout the Philippines. The findings are based on interviews with 5,000 randomly selected respondents drawn from diverse geographic locations and socio-economic classes across the region, ensuring a representative cross-section of public opinion and making it one of the most comprehensive assessments of local governance and public sentiment conducted during the period.
Methodology and Governance Framework
As part of the nationwide โBoses ng Bayanโ survey, a total of 5,000 randomly selected respondents were interviewed across the region, with proportional representation by geographic location and socio-economic class (ABC, D, and E) to ensure broad demographic and geographic representation. The survey has a ยฑ1% margin of error at the 95% confidence level, indicating a high degree of statistical reliability in the findings.
The sampling framework was designed to ensure proportional representation across provinces, cities, gender groups, age brackets, and socio-economic classes, thereby providing a balanced and statistically reliable measure of regional public sentiment.
For the city mayoral assessment, respondents were drawn from the respective cities of the local chief executives being evaluated. This localized approach ensures that the ratings reflect the actual experiences, perceptions, and evaluations of the constituents directly affected by their city governments' policies, programs, and leadership.
RPMDโs Index of Governance (IOG) is derived from two principal indicators: Trust Rating and Performance Rating. The Performance Rating is based on constituent evaluations across multiple dimensions of local governance, including ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐
๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ, ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ, ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐, ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฌ.
The resulting Trust and Performance scores are combined to generate the Index of Governance (IOG), RPMDโs principal benchmark for measuring governance effectiveness and public approval.
Under RPMDโs governance standards, 55 percent constitutes the passing benchmark, indicating favorable constituent evaluations. Scores of 70 percent and above reflect very strong public approval, while ratings exceeding 85 percent signify outstanding governance performance and exceptionally high levels of constituent confidence.
๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ: ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐
The survey identifies ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ข๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ซ๐รฑ๐๐ฌ as the highest-rated city mayor in Western Visayas, registering an impressive 78.2% Index of Governance, supported by 77.8% trust and 78.6% performance ratings. Her results place her firmly within the category of very strong public approval and reflect broad constituent confidence in her administrationโs ability to manage the regionโs premier urban center. The findings suggest strong public satisfaction with her leadership, governance initiatives, infrastructure programs, and responsiveness to Iloilo City residents' needs.
Securing second place is ๐๐จ๐ฑ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ, who earned a robust 76.8% IOG, backed by 76.5% trust and 77.1% performance ratings. The results indicate sustained constituent confidence in his administration and recognition of his efforts in governance, public service delivery, economic development, and city management. His strong performance reflects a consistent ability to maintain public trust while delivering favorable governance outcomes.
Ranking third is ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ, who posted a 74.0% Index of Governance, supported by 73.4% trust and 74.7% performance ratings. The findings point to favorable constituent assessments of his leadership and demonstrate growing public confidence in his administrationโs ability to address local priorities, deliver essential services, and maintain effective engagement with residents.
All three city mayors achieved ratings well above RPMDโs 70-percent threshold for Very Strong Public Approval, indicating substantial constituent satisfaction with their leadership and governance performance during the first quarter of 2026.
Governance Insights: What the Results Reveal
Beyond the rankings, the survey provides valuable insights into the evolving expectations of urban voters in Western Visayas.
Modern city governance requires mayors to navigate increasingly complex challenges, including economic development, infrastructure expansion, traffic and mobility concerns, environmental sustainability, public safety, healthcare delivery, disaster preparedness, and social welfare programs. As cities continue to grow and evolve, citizens are demanding greater accountability, faster service delivery, and more visible leadership from their local chief executives.
The results suggest that voters are increasingly evaluating mayors through a performance-based framework. Citizens appear to reward leaders who demonstrate competence, accessibility, responsiveness, and an ability to translate policies into tangible improvements in daily life. Public trust remains closely tied to perceived effectiveness, reinforcing the principle that governance legitimacy is earned through measurable results rather than political rhetoric.
The survey also highlights the growing importance of responsive local governance. Constituents increasingly expect city governments to address practical concerns such as infrastructure development, healthcare access, livelihood opportunities, public safety, environmental management, digital services, and emergency preparedness. Mayors who are perceived as proactive and solutions-oriented tend to enjoy stronger trust and performance ratings.
Regional Implications
The findings reflect a broader shift in local governance across Western Visayas, where public expectations continue to rise, and citizens increasingly demand measurable results from their elected leaders.
The strong ratings earned by the regionโs top-performing city mayors suggest that voters value leaders who maintain direct engagement with their communities while effectively managing the operational demands of city government. The results also indicate that public trust remains one of the strongest predictors of favorable governance evaluations.
From a governance perspective, the survey reinforces the importance of balancing strategic leadership with day-to-day responsiveness. Citizens increasingly expect mayors not only to articulate a vision for their cities but also to deliver concrete improvements that enhance quality of life and strengthen public confidence in local institutions.
More broadly, the findings suggest that urban governance in Western Visayas continues to evolve toward a more performance-driven model, where accountability, service delivery, transparency, and citizen engagement are becoming key determinants of political legitimacy.
Public Trust Remains the Foundation of Local Governance
According to Dr. Paul Martinez, Executive Director of RPMD Foundation Inc., Global Affairs, and Political Analyst, the survey demonstrates that public trust remains the foundation of effective local governance.
Dr. Martinez emphasized that the findings serve as an important barometer of public sentiment, reflecting how citizens evaluate their local chief executives not only on policy outcomes but also on accessibility, responsiveness, transparency, and leadership during periods of challenge and change. He noted that local governments often serve as the most visible face of public service, making trust and performance indispensable components of effective governance.
โCity governments are often the level of government closest to the people. As such, citizens tend to evaluate their mayors based on direct experience rather than perception alone. The results indicate that trust and performance remain deeply interconnected. Leaders who remain visible, responsive, and effective in addressing local concerns are more likely to earn sustained public confidence and stronger governance ratings,โ Martinez said.
The Western Visayas city mayoral assessment paints a positive picture of urban governance in the region. Significantly, the top-ranked city mayors all achieved ratings well above RPMDโs 55-percent passing benchmark, reflecting favorable constituent evaluations of their leadership and governance performance.
More importantly, the findings reveal a deeper governance reality: citizens increasingly reward leaders who remain connected to their communities, responsive to public needs, and capable of delivering measurable results. As voter expectations continue to evolve, governance performance is becoming an increasingly important source of political legitimacy and public trust.
Ultimately, the report is more than a ranking of city mayors. It is a reflection of how citizens define effective local leadership, what they expect from urban governance, and how accountability continues to shape public evaluations of elected officials. In Western Visayas, the message from constituents is clear: effective leadership, responsive governance, measurable performance, and public trust remain the cornerstones of successful city administration.
