Majority of Filipinos back impeach trial vs Sara Duterte – survey

MANILA, Philippines — A majority of Filipinos, or 69 percent, support an impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, according to OCTA Research’s 2026 Tugon ng Masa survey.

Meanwhile, 28 percent said they do not support the trial, while 3 percent are undecided.

READ: Again, Sara Duterte skips chance at House to face accuser

“Across major geographic areas, support for an impeachment trial is highest in the Visayas (83%) and the National Capital Region (81%), followed by Balance Luzon (69%),” the survey report released on Wednesday said.

Mindanao, said to be the vice president’s bailiwick, recorded the lowest level of support at 61 percent, as well as the highest level of opposition at 38 percent.

Support is strongest among Filipinos aged 18 to 24 (77 percent), followed by those aged 35 to 44 (73 percent).

Lower levels of support are observed among respondents aged 45 to 54 (60 percent), the lowest among all age groups.

Respondents aged 75 and above show relatively high favor at 71 percent.

“Support for an impeachment trial is higher in rural areas (75%) than in urban areas (63%),” it said.

“By gender, female respondents (70%6) show slightly higher support than male respondents (68%),” it added.

In terms of educational attainment, the highest level of approval was observed among those with no formal or only elementary education (73 percent), as well as those with college or postgraduate education (73 percent). 

Slightly lower support was recorded among those with a high school education (66 percent) and those with vocational education (69 percent).

When it comes to awareness of the impeachment case against Duterte, 87 percent said they are aware of the case, while 12 percent said they are not aware, and 1 percent remain undecided.

“Across major geographic areas, awareness is highest in Mindanao (91%) and the Visayas (88%),” it observed.

“It is slightly lower in the National Capital Region (87%) and lowest in Balance Luzon (78%),” the survey said.

Awareness is highest among respondents aged 45 to 54 (96 percent), 55 to 64 (96 percent), and 65 to 74 (96 percent).

Lower levels of awareness are observed among younger adults aged 25 to 34 (75 percent) and particularly among those aged 75 and above (65 percent).

The survey was conducted from March 19 to 25 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 male and female probability respondents aged 18 and above.

It has a ±3% margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. /apl /atm