Manila, Feb. 20 -- More Filipinos are rallying behind President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s leadership while rejecting former president Rodrigo Duterte's deep ties with China and his continued pro-Beijing stance, a ranking leader of the House of Representatives said Thursday.

House Deputy Majority Leader, La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V, was commenting on a recent OCTA Research survey, which suggested that more Filipinos are aligning with Marcos.

The Tugon ng Masa survey, conducted by OCTA from Jan. 25 to 31, showed that 36 percent of Filipinos support Marcos, while only 18 percent back Duterte.

Meanwhile, 26 percent support neither, and 8 percent align with the opposition.

Ortega said the survey results also confirmed that th...