Octa: 71% of Filipinos want law, evidence to guide Sara Duterte trial

The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, resumes the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. — Photo from Senate of the Philippines/Facebook MANILA, Philippines — Seven out of 10 Filipinos believe that the Senate impeachment court’s decision on Vice President Sara Duterte’s case should be guided entirely by law and evidence presented during the trial, according to an Octa Research survey. Octa’s Tugon ng Masa nationwide survey, conducted during the opening stage of the Senate impeachment proceedings from July 4 to 11, asked 1,200 respondents on whether “law and evidence presented during the trial” or “political considerations” matter most when finally voting on Duterte’s case. READ: Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial: Article IV highlights Article continues after this advertisement Results of the survey released Friday showed that 71 percent of adult Filipinos valued due process and expected the senator-judges “to perform their constitutional role impartially,” with only 21 percent expressing that partisan considerations should “matter most”. Meanwhile, 7 percent of the respondents answered they ‘do not know’, while the remaining 1 percent refused to answer. “The findings suggest that Filipinos are expressing broader expectations about democratic governance. The results indicate that the public values institutional fairness, due process, and evidence-based decision-making, regardless of the eventual verdict,” Octa Research said. The non-commissioned survey has a +3 percent margin of error with a confidence level of 95 percent, covering the geographic areas in the National Capital Region (NCR), Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, also at a 95 percent confidence level. The survey also showed that across the geographic areas, ‘law and evidence’ remain the leading consideration as the senators’ basis, with the highest found in the NCR with 77 percent, followed closely by Balance Luzon with 76 percent, then Visayas with 63 percent, and Mindanao with 62 percent. Article continues after this advertisement On the other hand, “political considerations” are cited lowest in Balance Luzon with 16 percent, next in NCR with 17 percent, and much higher in both Visayas and Mindanao with 28 percent. “One of the study’s most important findings is that respondents were not asked whether Vice President Sara Duterte should be convicted or acquitted. Instead, they were asked what should matter most when senators cast their votes,” Octa Research stated. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Impeachment court serves subpoenas for Sara Duterte’s financial records The majority of the age group from 25 to 75 regarded “law and evidence” as the senator-judges’ primary basis, with 62 percent among those aged 75 and above, and 73 percent among those aged 25 to 34 and 55 to 64. Meanwhile, “political considerations” stood highest among respondents aged 18 to 24 at 26 percent, while 20 percent of respondents aged 75 and above were uncertain. The percentage of respondents that supports evidence and law-based decision on Duterte’s impeachment trial per region are as follows: Region II (89%) Mimaropa (85%) Region III (81%) BARMM (46%) Caraga (45%) Meanwhile, political considerations are cited in Region VI with 43 percent, BARMM with 36 percent, and Regions VIII and IX with 35 percent. “The findings indicate that public confidence in democratic institutions is likely to be strengthened when decisions are perceived to be grounded in constitutional standards, evidence, and fairness rather than political expediency or partisan considerations,” it added. /das Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.