Defensor joins top governors in 2026 governance index

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. ranked among the country’s top-performing and most trusted provincial governors in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest Boses ng Bayan Index of Governance released by RPMD Foundation Inc.

Defensor joined the survey’s top national cluster with an index score of 86.20%.

His overall score was based on an 85.90% trust rating and an 86.50% performance rating.

Defensor ranked alongside Quirino Gov. Dax Cua, who recorded the highest index score at 86.51%.

Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte received an index score of 86.34%.

RPMD said constituents first evaluated governors within their respective regions.

Only the highest-rated provincial governors in regional trust and performance assessments advanced to the national evaluation.

The Index of Governance combines trust and performance ratings to measure public confidence and the delivery of government services.

RPMD said the assessment covered leadership, fiscal management, social services, public safety, infrastructure development, and disaster preparedness and response.

It also evaluated environmental management, transparency, public engagement, innovation, and responsiveness.

The organization conducted the survey in April 2026 through face-to-face interviews with 5,000 randomly selected registered voters in each region.

The respondents represented all socioeconomic groups.

Respondents were proportionally allocated and weighted based on the number of registered voters in each province, city, municipality, and barangay.

The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point at a 95% confidence level.

In a statement, RPMD Executive Director Paul Martinez said the results show that public trust is sustained through “visible, responsive, transparent, and measurable provincial governance.”

Martinez said the rankings also serve as a public mandate for provincial leaders to maintain public trust, address governance gaps, and improve service delivery.

RPMD Foundation describes the survey as independent and noncommissioned.