(UPDATE) A LARGE majority of Filipinos want Vice President Sara Duterte to be present at a Senate impeachment trial over the allegations against her, according to the results of a noncommissioned survey released on Wednesday.
The poll, conducted by Tangere from May 5 to 6, found that 90 percent of respondents want the vice president to appear before the Senate, signaling what the firm described as a rare cross-party consensus on the issue.
Of those surveyed, 82 percent said Duterte should personally attend the proceedings rather than rely solely on legal representation. Only 8 percent believed a lawyer’s appearance would suffice, while 7 percent said she should not face the Senate at all.
Support for Duterte’s personal appearance cut across political affiliations, the survey showed.
Among respondents identifying with the Marcos administration, 94 percent favored her attendance, followed by 92 percent of those aligned with the Liberal Party, 90 percent of unaffiliated respondents and 70 percent of Duterte’s own supporters.
The findings also pointed to calls for broader accountability beyond the vice president. About 60 percent of respondents said her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, should also face Senate scrutiny, citing concerns over conjugal assets and shared legal interests.
Tangere Chief Executive Officer Martin Peñaflor said the results indicate a shift in public expectations. He noted that even within Duterte’s support base, there is a growing demand for direct answers rather than reliance on legal intermediaries.
The survey polled 1,200 respondents nationwide using a mobile-based application and a stratified random sampling method, with a margin of error of ±2.77 percent at a 95-percent confidence level. Participants included 45 percent Duterte supporters, 20 percent unaffiliated respondents, 20 percent Liberal Party supporters and 15 percent aligned with the Marcos administration.
Respondents were drawn from across the country, with representation from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the firm said.
NUP’s ‘yes’ vote
Meanwhile, House Deputy Speaker and National Unity Party (NUP) chairman Ronaldo Puno of Antipolo said on Wednesday that roughly 60 percent of the NUP bloc, the second-largest political party in Congress, is expected to vote in favor of transmitting the impeachment case of Vice President Duterte to the Senate.
Speaking to reporters, Puno said that while discussions within the 55-member party show some lawmakers still opposed to the impeachment, majority of its members are leaning toward a “yes” vote.
He added, however, that positions may still shift after members complete their district consultations ahead of the May 11 plenary vote.
“We have a hard core that is still negative to the proposal. There is a middle ground of some people who want to abstain. But the last conversation we had yesterday (Tuesday) at our meeting was that we would all go back to our constituents and have one more round of conversations with them to see how we would vote finally on this matter,” Puno said.
“But right now, the situation in NUP is, I think there’s a majority that are favoring the sending of these articles of impeachment to the Senate,” he added.
Asked to quantify the majority, Puno estimated that of the 55 members, “I would say maybe 60 percent, a little over half.” He added that this translates to “at least 30 members” currently inclined to vote yes, but still subject to final consultations with constituents, considering NUP also has members representing districts in Mindanao — which is also known as the Dutertes’ political stronghold.
“Of course, in Mindanao, our members have a hard time because when they ask around, everybody says no. I mean that’s just the fact of the matter. They will call their barangay and everybody is saying no,” Puno said.
The deputy speaker also said some members are experiencing pressure from an influential religious group not to support the impeachment.
“There are many districts where there’s a very high percentage of voters from that church. So, they, of course, have an important voice also in their districts,” Puno said.
Despite internal divisions and external pressure, Puno expressed confidence that Duterte’s impeachment would secure the required one-third vote, or 106 members, noting that lawmakers from the largest political party, Lakas-CMD, have also demonstrated support for a Senate trial.
“Lakas is still the biggest party, and Lakas is the father party of this impeachment complaint. So maybe almost all, I think all Lakas, will vote for impeachment. If you combine the votes of Lakas alone and the 55 who voted in committee, you will already get your 106,” he said.
Puno estimates that at least 180 lawmakers in the 318-member House will vote to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial.
On Tuesday night, the plenary referred the committee on justice’s report on the impeachment resolution against Duterte to the committee on rules.
The resolution is expected to be calendared by the committee on rules and returned to the plenary, where members will be given copies and time to review the articles and supporting evidence ahead of the May 11 vote. WITH PNA
