The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, resumes the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on July 22, 2026. Photo courtesy of the Senate of the Philippines/YouTube
Seven in ten Filipinos believe senator-judges should base their verdict in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial on the law and evidence presented during the proceedings, according to a recent Octa Research survey.
The Tugon ng Masa poll, conducted from July 4 to 11 during the opening phase of the impeachment trial, found that 71 percent of respondents favored an evidence-based decision, while 21 percent said political considerations should carry more weight. Seven percent were undecided and 1 percent declined to answer.
Octa Research said the results reflected the public’s expectation that the Senate impeachment court should uphold due process and perform its constitutional duty impartially.
The survey also suggested that Filipinos placed greater importance on fairness and evidence-based decision-making than on political interests, regardless of the trial’s eventual outcome.
Support for deciding the case based on law and evidence was strongest in the National Capital Region at 77 percent, followed by Balance Luzon at 76 percent, Visayas at 63 percent and Mindanao at 62 percent.
Across age groups, most respondents favored an evidence-based verdict, with support reaching 73 percent among those aged 25 to 34 and 55 to 64. Political considerations received the highest support among respondents aged 18 to 24 at 26 percent.
Region II posted the highest support for decisions based on law and evidence at 89 percent, followed by Mimaropa at 85 percent and Region III at 81 percent. Political considerations were cited most frequently in Region VI at 43 percent.
The noncommissioned nationwide survey interviewed 1,200 adults and carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.