7 out of 10 Filipinos support a Senate impeachment trial vs VP Sara Duterte —OCTA

The percentage of Filipinos who believe Vice President Sara Duterte should face a Senate impeachment trial increased from 69% in March to 74% in April, according to the OCTA Research survey released on Monday.

Based on to the latest Tugon ng Masa (TNM) survey conducted April 20 to 24, 74% of respondents said Duterte should face trial before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, while 21% disagreed and 4% were undecided.

The latest figure marked a five-percentage-point increase from the 69% recorded in a March survey.

GMA News Online has sought comment from Duterte’s defense team spokesperson Michael Poa but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on May 11 on allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes.

The Senate has convened as an impeachment court and is expected to begin the trial on July 6.

Regions, socioeconomic classes

Support for a Senate trial remained at majority levels across all major regions of the country, with the highest percentage in the Visayas at 82%, followed by the National Capital Region at 81% and Balance Luzon (the rest of Luzon outside Metro Manila) at 77%.

Mindanao registered the lowest level of support at 58%. Also, the area logged the highest opposition rate to the Senate impeachment trial at 41%.

OCTA described the “Mindanao divergence” as the “most analytically significant” regional finding, noting that the area has historically been considered a political stronghold of the Duterte family.

“The national figure of 74% conveys broad public backing, but it obscures a pronounced regional fault line,” the report stated.

Among socioeconomic classes, support for the impeachment trial was consistent, with 74% among Class ABC respondents, 75% among Class D, and 73% among Class E.

Non-commissioned poll

OCTA noted that the survey measured support for the constitutional process of impeachment and should not be interpreted as a judgment on Duterte's guilt, possible conviction, or removal from office.

“The survey question measures public support for a Senate impeachment trial as a constitutional mechanism for addressing allegations and ensuring due process,” OCTA said.

The non-commissioned survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews involving 1,200 adult Filipinos aged 18 and above.

The poll had a margin of error of ±3% at the 95% confidence level. Subnational estimates for the geographic areas have the following margins of error at a 95% confidence level: ±6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The survey also compared the latest results with previous TNM polls. While support increased from March 2026, it remained lower than the 80% recorded in July 2025 and the 78% posted in April 2025 in surveys involving impeachment-related issues concerning the Vice President.

OCTA cautioned that those earlier surveys were conducted under different circumstances and should be treated only as reference points rather than a direct trend line. —KG, GMA News