MANILA, Philippines— Four in 10 Filipinos consider bribery the most serious allegation in the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, the latest Tugon ng Masa survey conducted by OCTA Research showed.
The non-commissioned nationwide survey found that 43 percent of respondents identified bribery as the impeachment charge that should receive the highest priority, while 28 percent pointed to the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
Unexplained wealth and grave threats were each cited by 10 percent of respondents, while eight percent said they did not know or could not identify the most serious allegation.
The pollster said the findings suggest that Filipinos distinguish among the allegations in the impeachment complaint instead of viewing them with equal weight, with bribery emerging as the dominant concern nationwide.
Regionally, bribery ranked as the top allegation in the National Capital Region, where it was cited by 47 percent of respondents, as well as in the Visayas (54 percent) and Mindanao (43 percent). In Balance Luzon, bribery also ranked first at 38 percent but was closely followed by the alleged misuse of confidential funds at 33 percent.
The survey likewise found that bribery was the leading concern across socioeconomic classes, age groups, genders and places of residence.
Among socioeconomic groups, bribery was cited by 37 percent of Class ABC respondents, 43 percent of Class D and 50 percent of Class E. By age, it ranked first across all categories, with its highest rating among respondents aged 25 to 34 at 52 percent.
Bribery was also the top response among 48 percent of urban respondents and 38 percent of rural respondents. It was cited by 42 percent of men and 45 percent of women.
Despite ranking second nationwide, the alleged misuse of confidential funds emerged as the leading concern in several regions, including Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa and Caraga, indicating regional differences in how Filipinos view the impeachment allegations.
OCTA said the results showed that the public evaluates the allegations individually rather than simply expressing support for or opposition to the impeachment process. It added that the findings should not be interpreted as a judgment on the legal merits of the case or its eventual outcome but as a measure of which allegations carry the greatest weight in the minds of Filipinos.
