43% of Filipinos uncertain about Corona’s guilt—Pulse Asia

Chief Justice Renato Corona. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Close to half of Filipinos remain uncertain whether Chief Justice Renato Corona is “guilty or not”, a Pulse Asia survey showed.

About 43 percent of those polled said they could not say whether the impeached chief magistrate is guilty or not.

Thirty-three percent, meanwhile, said that Corona “is probably guilty” while only 15 percent are “certain about his guilt.”

“Practically the same percentages across geographic areas and socio-economic classes either think the Chief Justice is guilty (37 percent to 52 percent) or express indecision on the matter (43 percent to 48 percent),” said Pulse Asia.

The results of Pulse Asia’s latest nationwide survey, conducted from February 26 to March 9, were released to the media on Tuesday.

The presentation of Corona’s legal counsels at the impeachment court began on March 12, three days after the survey concluded.

“A sizeable majority (64 percent) of those who say Supreme Court Chief Justice Corona is innocent arrived at this conclusion as the impeachment trial was unfolding,” Pulse Asia said.

Sixty-nine percent of Filipinos, meanwhile believe the members of the Senate, sitting as senator-judges in the impeachment trial, “will be fair and will not favor anyone when they finally decide on the impeachment case…”

Public opinion was split whether the House of Representatives fastracked the process of impeachment, with 38 percent saying the process was not hastened while 32 percent expressed a contrary opinion. Twenty-nine percent were undecided.

About 84 percent said they were following the impeachment, which the survey noted as an  “an act reported by overwhelming majorities in every geographic area (75 percent  to 91 percent) and socio-economic class (76 percent to 90 percent)”.

“However, when asked regarding the extent of their knowledge about the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Corona, 56 percent of Filipinos say they know only a little about the issue –  an admission made by near to small majorities across geographic areas (48 percent  to 62 percent) and socio-economic classes (50 percent to 58 percent),” it said.

Meanwhile, 11 percent of Filipinos said “they have almost no or no knowledge at all about the issue.”

The Pulse Asia survey covered 1,200 respondents 18 years old and above living in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. It has a plus-minus three percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level, according to a statement issued by Pulse Asia through its president, Prof. Ronald D. Holmes.

First posted 11:44 am | Tuesday, March 20th, 2012