Almost 8 in 10 believe Sara Duterte should face Senate impeachment trial — survey

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MANILA, Philippines — Public opinion is clear: an overwhelming majority of Filipinos believe Vice President Sara Duterte should face her impeachment trial in the Senate.

OCTA Research released its survey findings on Monday, June 9, showing that nearly four in five Filipinos, or 78% of 1,200 respondents, support Duterte facing trial “to clear her name by responding to the charges against her.”

Only 13% said she should not be tried, while 9% were unsure or preferred not to answer.

Across all regions, at least seven in every 10 respondents said they want Duterte to face trial. Support was stronger in certain areas, such as Metro Manila (83%), the Cordillera Administrative Region (100%), Mimaropa, Western Visayas (95%), and Central Visayas (89%). 

This further shows the strong support for due process nationwide, even in her family’s political stronghold, Mindanao.

Only 20% of respondents from Mindanao disagreed with the majority, saying there is no reason to put her on trial. 

Support for a Senate trial also cuts across socioeconomic classes, with 80% of low-income respondents saying Duterte should be tried — a sentiment shared by most respondents regardless of income level.

The survey’s findings also suggest that, regardless of whether Filipinos believe she should be convicted or acquitted, most believe the charges should be heard in the Senate.

Call for accountability, due process

OCTA Research President Ranjit Rye, a political science professor, said the survey underscores two things: public demand for accountability and broad support for impeachment as a means of due process.

“It assures everyone, including the Senate, that there’s strong support for actually convening the court to start the impeachment trial,” he told Philstar.com in a phone interview.   

Rye was also surprised that even in Mindanao, a majority favored Duterte attending her trial, prompting them to double-check the results. He told Philstar.com that the numbers held up.

Since the survey was conducted in late April, just two weeks before the midterm elections, Rye said the question was framed assuming the trial would proceed as scheduled. 

It was meant to gauge whether the public believed Duterte should personally appear before the Senate to face the charges against her. At the time, there had been no controversy yet of any delay or postponement.

While OCTA’s survey was conducted in April, Rye said its findings are consistent with more recent polls, including one by the Social Weather Stations, which showed even stronger support, with 88% in favor of Duterte facing trial.

Four-month-long delay

Duterte was impeached on February 5, just days before Congress went on break. That same day, the Senate received the impeachment complaint endorsed by 215 House members, but it was not taken up in the plenary.

While Congress was in recess, the Senate said it could not convene as an impeachment court without a special session. Because of this, Senate President Chiz Escudero scheduled the proceedings to start on June 2, when Congress resumed session.

The House prosecution panel was supposed to present the articles of impeachment that day, to be followed by the Senate convening as an impeachment court on June 3. 

However, Escudero had a change of plans and postponed it to June 11, the last plenary session of the 19th Congress.

His justification for the delay, prioritizing key legislation, has since drawn criticism. Various colleges, universities and law schools have issued statements urging the Senate to “proceed forthwith” as the Constitution dictates. 

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Although Escudero had initially set a tentative trial date for after the 2025 midterm elections, he later suggested that the Senate might first need to vote on whether to convene as an impeachment court. 

This was an idea he had not clarified during the congressional break. At the same time, Escudero stressed that the current Senate cannot compel the 20th Congress to either continue or start the impeachment trial. 

A motion to dismiss the impeachment trial, drafted last week by Sen. Bato dela Rosa, also sparked public outrage, with critics pointing out that the Constitution makes no provision for ending an impeachment this way. The process must conclude with either conviction or acquittal.

“People see [the impeachment trial] in a positive light and if there’s somebody or some people not seeing it in a positive light, it’s really the politicians,” Rye said. 

The Senate’s move has effectively placed the impeachment trial on the back burner, raising doubts about whether it will push through at all.