A majority of Filipinos believe the Senate impeachment court’s final decision on Vice President Sara Duterte, whether conviction or acquittal, should be accepted by the public, according to the September 21-27 survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The poll revealed that 51 percent of respondents agree that the Senate’s ruling must be respected, while 26 percent disagree and 24 percent remain undecided.
On the performance of the legal panels, net satisfaction with the House prosecution stood at -5 (30 percent satisfied versus 35 percent dissatisfied, with 36 percent undecided). In contrast, the Vice President’s defense team recorded a +23 net satisfaction rating (47 percent satisfied versus 24 percent dissatisfied, with 29 percent undecided).
Public sentiment strongly favors direct participation from the respondent, with 78 percent of Filipinos stating it is important for Vice President Duterte to testify in person before the Senate tribunal, yielding a net importance score of +63.
Overall belief in the allegations against Duterte shifted to 23 percent (down from 36 percent in December 2024), while 44 percent disbelieved the charges (up from 31 percent) and 26 percent remained undecided.
Among the original four impeachment complaints, the highest belief that allegations were true was on unexplained wealth not fully disclosed in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) at 35 percent belief versus 38 percent disbelief (net score of -12). Misuse of P612.5 million in OVP and DepEd confidential funds registered 29 percent belief versus 38 percent disbelief (net score of -9).
Allegations regarding procurement bribery at DepEd saw 27 percent belief against 40 percent disbelief (net score of -12), while alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez recorded 23 percent belief against 44 percent disbelief (net score of -21).
The nationwide survey interviewed 1,500 adult respondents with a ±3% margin of error. SWS noted that fieldwork was conducted prior to the House prosecution panel’s decision to drop three of the four impeachment articles to focus solely on the unexplained wealth charge.