SWS: Fewer Filipinos follow Duterte trial than past impeachments

MANILA, Philippines — Fewer Filipinos closely followed the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte compared with past impeachment proceedings, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported.

According to its survey conducted from Sept. 21 to 27, only 42 percent of adult Filipinos followed Duterte’s impeachment trial “very or somewhat” closely.

The SWS said this was lower than the 47 percent recorded in January 2001, during the impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada.

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Meanwhile, 52 percent and 54 percent of Filipinos followed the impeachment trial of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona, according to the SWS surveys conducted in March and May 2012, respectively.

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Results showed that only 15 percent followed Duterte’s impeachment trial very closely, while 28 percent followed it somewhat closely. Another 21 percent said they followed the proceedings a little, while 27 percent did not follow them.

The remaining 9 percent said they had only heard about the trial during the interview.

READ: From 4 to 1: Impeachment court OKs reduced raps vs Sara Duterte

When asked about the pace of the trial, 39 percent said the proceedings were moving “too slow,” while 31 percent said they were moving at the right pace.

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Another 22 percent said the trial was moving too quickly, while the remaining 7 percent did not provide their views.

“The view that the trial is much too slow was highest in Metro Manila at 49%, followed by Balance Luzon at 46%, the Visayas at 35%, and Mindanao at 24%,” the survey added.

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The SWS also found that fewer Filipinos trusted the Senate impeachment court to make a fair decision on whether to convict Duterte, with a net trust score of -7.

Only 28 percent expressed much trust, 32 percent were undecided, and 35 percent had little trust.

“In past impeachment cases, more had much trust than little trust in the Senate to make a fair decision,” it said.

For Estrada, net trust was +17 (32% much trust, 15% little trust) in December 2000 and +21 (36% much trust, 15% little trust) in January 2001, during his trial.

For Corona, net trust was +11 (30% much trust, 19% little trust) in March 2012 and +21 (36% much trust, 15% little trust) in May 2012.

When asked for their opinion on the Duterte impeachment trial, 50 percent of the respondents said they gave both sides the right consideration.

About 18 percent said the trial was too lenient toward Duterte’s lawyers, while 17 percent said the prosecutors were given too much leeway. The remaining 15 percent did not express an opinion.

“Net trust in the Senate to make a fair decision was -1 among those who said the impeachment trial had the right consideration for both sides,” the survey said.

READ: VP impeachment trial: What the prosecution presented in 3 articles

The SWS said the survey was conducted before the House prosecution panel dropped three of the four articles of impeachment.

These were Article I, which concerns the alleged misuse of confidential funds; Article III, which refers to alleged bribery and procurement irregularities; and Article IV, which refers to alleged grave threats.

The Senate Impeachment Court granted the prosecution’s motion to drop the three articles, leaving only Article II, which concerns alleged unexplained wealth, inaccurate Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, and failure to divest business interests.

The SWS noted that the September 2026 survey was conducted while the House prosecution was presenting its evidence on Article II.

The survey covered 1,500 adults aged 18 and above nationwide through face-to-face interviews.

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The sampling error margins were ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Balance Luzon, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao. /mcm