MORE than one in 3 Filipinos disagreed with the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision declaring the impeachment case of Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio as unconstitutional, according to the latest poll by WR Numero Research.
In its August Philippine Public Opinion Monitor, the pollster found that 34% of 1,418 surveyed from July 29 to Aug. 6, either “disagreed” (26.1%) or “strongly disagreed” (7.7%) with the tribunal’s ruling, compared to respondents who either “agreed” (20.9%) or “strongly agreed” (5.7%). The share of respondents who were “unsure” was, however, higher at 40%.
The tribunal, last July 26, ruled that the impeachment proceedings were unconstitutional after it violated the ban on filing more than one impeachment complaint within a year, breaching Ms. Duterte’s right to due process. As a result, any new complaint against her could only be filed by Feb. 6 next year.
The survey found that there is a “high” awareness among Filipinos, with 67.4% saying they know that the Vice-President facing impeachment complaints, against 32.5% who said otherwise.
Among those who were aware, only 6% said they know enough about the content of the impeachment case and evidence against Ms. Duterte. Around 18% said they have somewhat enough information, while 33% said they don’t have enough information. The remaining 43% said none at all.
Four impeachment complaints had been filed against the Vice-President since December 2024. The House of Representatives dismissed the first three, but the fourth was endorsed by more than 200 lawmakers — exceeding the one-third constitutional requirement to send the charges to the Senate.
Allegations against her include fund misuse, unexplained wealth, destabilization efforts, and plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., his wife, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. She has denied all charges.
It has been awaiting trial since it was sent to the Senate in February. On Aug. 6, however, the chamber moved to archive the case, in accordance with the SC ruling.
About 82% of those surveyed had expressed the importance of fairness and impartiality of Senator-judges over the impeachment process, while 18% stated that it was not important.
STILL MOST PREFERREDMeanwhile, WR Numero found that Ms. Duterte remains to be the top presidential candidate for the 2028 elections. Its poll showed that 31% of surveyed Filipinos preferred the Vice-President as a potential candidate for the 2028 Presidential elections.
Her impeachment case remains pivotal for her political career, if she is convicted, she will be perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
Filipinos will be voting a President and Vice-President by 2028, along with a new set of Senators, Congressmen, and local government officials.
Following her was former Vice-President and 2022 Presidential candidate Maria Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo with 13.3%.
Rounding out the top five are Senators Rafael T. Tulfo and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go received 10.3% and 6.5%, respectively. About 4.4% of responded said that preferred Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos to be a Presidential candidate in 2028.
The WR Numero survey also showed that Mr. Go was among the leading Vice-Presidential candidates for the 2028 election, preferred by about 16.2% of Filipinos.
Trailing him is Mr. Tulfo at 14.9% and Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV with 8.4%, both are newcomers in the firm’s pre-election polls.
Rounding out the top five candidates are Senator Robinhood Ferdinand “Robin” C. Padilla (7.7%) and former Senator Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares (6.8%). — Adrian H. Halili
