Majority of Filipinos Want Sara Duterte to Personally Appear at Impeachment Trial
SARA DUTERTE – Should Vice President Sara Duterte take the witness stand during her impeachment trial? A recent nationwide survey suggests that 51% of Filipinos believe she should.
A majority of Filipino adults believe Vice President Sara Duterte should personally appear before the Senate impeachment court to testify in her trial, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Pulse Asia in September 2026. The polling firm’s 2026 Nationwide Survey on the Impeachment Case and Trial of the Vice President found that 51% of respondents supported Duterte’s personal appearance during the proceedings.
The results showed stronger support in Metro Manila, where 66% of respondents wanted Duterte to testify, followed by 61% in other parts of Luzon. Support was also recorded among 56% of respondents from socioeconomic Class ABC, representing upper- and middle-income households, and 53% from Class D, which consists of lower-income households.
In contrast, 34% of Filipino adults opposed Duterte’s personal appearance before the impeachment court. Another 14% were undecided, while 1% declined to share an opinion.
Mindanao recorded the highest opposition, with 61% of respondents saying Duterte should not personally testify. Nearly half of respondents from Class E, or 48% of those belonging to the lowest-income households, also expressed opposition.
Limited Knowledge, but Continued Interest
The survey revealed that many Filipinos had limited information about the impeachment proceedings. Around 53% of respondents said they knew little about the case against Duterte.
This included 48% in Metro Manila, 55% in the rest of Luzon, 51% in the Visayas, and 52% in Mindanao.
Among respondents from Class ABC, 52% said they had sufficient knowledge of the case. Meanwhile, 54% from Class D and 60% from Class E acknowledged knowing little about the proceedings.
Despite these knowledge gaps, 55% of Filipino adults expressed interest in following the impeachment trial. Twenty percent said they were not interested, while 25% remained undecided.
The internet was identified as the leading information source, cited by 64% of respondents, followed by television at 59%. Radio accounted for 15%, while less than 1% relied on newspapers. Nine percent said they were not following the trial.
Public Awareness of Unexplained Wealth Allegations
Pulse Asia also examined public awareness of allegations involving Duterte’s supposed unexplained wealth. The survey found that 71% of Filipino adults knew about the allegations, although 39% said they could not determine whether the claims were true or false.
“Several changes in awareness levels and public opinion regarding the truthfulness of these allegations occur between July 2026 and September 2026,” Pulse Asia said.
The polling firm reported a 10-percentage-point nationwide decline in awareness between July and September 2026. The decreases were 13 points in Metro Manila, 14 points in the rest of Luzon, nine points in Mindanao, and 11 points among Class D respondents.
Survey Methodology
Pulse Asia surveyed from September 17 to 24, 2026, through face-to-face interviews with 2,400 Filipino adults.
The nationwide results carried a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Estimates for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao each had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points at the same confidence level.
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