78% of Filipinos want Duterte to face impeachment trial - OCTA survey
Metro Manila, Philippines - Nearly 8 out of 10 of Filipinos believe Vice President Sara Duterte should face an impeachment trial and respond to the charges against her, the pollster OCTA Research said.
In a report released on Monday, June 9, OCTA Research found 78 percent of respondents support the conduct of the impeachment trial, 13 percent were against it, and nine percent said they do not know or have no response.
The pollster said Visayas has the highest support at 87 percent, followed by National Capital Region (83 percent), Mindanao (77 percent), and Balance Luzon (73 percent).
“Support is similarly strong and consistent” across socio-economic classes, it said.
“At least 63 percent of adult Filipinos in every region agree that Vice President Sara Duterte should face a Senate trial or impeachment court. The agreement is robust in the Cordillera Administrative Region (100 percent), Western Visayas (95 percent), and Davao Region (95 percent),” OCTA Research said.
“In contrast, disagreement ranges from 0 percent to 34 percent across regions. Notable levels of disagreement were observed in BARMM (20 percent), CALABARZON (21 percent), Central Mindanao (25 percent), CARAGA (25 percent), and the Zamboanga Peninsula (34 percent),” it added.
Eight out of 10 respondents from the 25-34 age group (84 percent) and the 65-74 age group (82 percent) backed the impeachment trial.
OCTA Research found 91 percent or 9 out of 10 Filipinos were aware of Duterte’s impeachment case.
TIMELINE: Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment
The pollster interviewed 1,200 Filipinos from April 20 to 24 with a ±3 percent error margin.
On May 29, a Social Weather Stations-Stratbase survey found 88 percent of FIlipinos believed Duterte should “address the impeachment charges, answer all allegations pertaining to corruption, and clear her name.”
Duterte said she also agreed with the sentiment, adding she was “thankful” for the opportunity to clear her name.
But she has asked the Supreme Court to block the basis of her looming impeachment trial on constitutional grounds.
In February, 215 members of the House of Representatives signed the impeachment complaint against Duterte. Graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes were the grounds of the articles of impeachment.
While it received the complaint on the same day, the Senate adjourned session and did not discuss the articles of impeachment in the plenary.
RELATED: Senate dismissing Duterte impeachment without trial is violation of Constitution — former justice
Senate President Chiz Escudero said the articles of impeachment will be read on June 2 in the resumption of session, but was rescheduled to June 11. The 19th Congress will adjourn sine die on June 13.
