The camp of Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro pushed back against a recent survey by RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD) showing lower trust and performance ratings.
The governor’s allies cited previous RPMD surveys that did not match the outcome of the 2025 gubernatorial election.
The latest RPMD survey placed Baricuatro’s trust rating at 42.5 percent, performance rating at 43.8 percent, and Index of Governance score at 43.1 percent, all below the group’s 55 percent benchmark for governance assessment.
RPMD said the results suggest the governor “continues to retain support from portions of the electorate,” but noted that respondents are increasingly evaluating governance based on “measurable governance outcomes, implementation of campaign commitments, service delivery efficiency, and overall provincial management.”
However, the survey drew criticism from Baricuatro’s camp, which questioned the consistency of RPMD’s earlier polling data.
Dr. Nikki Catalan, daughter of the governor, resurfaced RPMD’s “Boses ng Bayan” surveys from the 2025 gubernatorial race, highlighting what she described as a mismatch between survey figures and actual election results.
In RPMD’s December 2024 survey, Baricuatro reportedly posted 5.4 percent against then Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s 90.2 percent. In another survey in April 2025, Baricuatro was listed at 3.2 percent while Garcia registered 95.8 percent.
Despite those figures, Baricuatro eventually won the 2025 gubernatorial race, securing more than one million votes and defeating Garcia, who obtained over 700,000 votes.
Catalan reacted to the latest RPMD findings by posting on social media, saying, “Ah yes, RPMD ‘Bosses ng Bayan.’ We remember how ‘credible’ you are.”
Baricuatro later reshared the post with the caption, “Demolition job pa more.”
Assistant Provincial Administrator Atty. Aldwin Empaces also cautioned the public against immediately accepting survey results, saying RPMD has long faced questions over its methodology and transparency.
He said critics have raised concerns about whether some surveys are commissioned for political purposes rather than conducted as independent studies, and noted issues involving disclosure of funding sources and institutional details.
“Lack of transparency has prompted some analysts to view their data with caution,” Empaces said.
The controversy comes as a separate survey commissioned by the business community earlier this year showed stronger ratings for the governor, with an 88.7 percent performance score and 81.5 percent trust rating based on face-to-face interviews with 1,067 respondents in April 2026.
That survey cited healthcare programs, disaster response efforts, and additional medical personnel deployment as key reasons for favorable public assessment, and noted strong voter inclination toward candidates endorsed by the governor.
Photos courtesy of Dr. Elisse Nicole Catalan
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