MANILA — Filipino adults are nearly split between public opinion and evidence as the preferred basis for senator-judges’ decisions in the impeachment trial of VicePresident Sara Duterte, according to the latest Momentum Research survey.
Public opinion is cited by 36.8 percent of Filipino adults, while 36.3 percent say that evidence should be the basis of the senator-judges’ decision.
However, significant differences emerge when the results are examined by political faction and region.
For a plurality of Pro-Duterte Filipino adults (40.9 percent), public opinion is the top consideration, while evidence is the most preferred basis among the Pro-Opposition (43.4 percent).
Meanwhile, over a third of Filipinos who identify themselves as Pro-Marcos believe senator-judges should base their decision on public opinion (36.4 percent).
Roughly 37.9 percent of Independent Filipino adults, on the other hand, prefer evidence-basedjudgment. Compared to the national share of 10 percent, almost 1 in 5 Pro-Marcos Filipinos (18.4.percent) want senator-judges to base their decision on their own conscience.
The regional results also show differences in how Filipinos view the factors that should guide senator-judges.
Public opinion leads in Metro Manila and Luzon, where it is cited by 40 percent and 39.7 percent of respondents, respectively. In the Visayas and Mindanao, however, evidence-based judgment ranks higher, at 32.9 percent and 38.7 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile in Mindanao, Vice President Sara Duterte’s home region, records the highest share of respondents who say political allies’ interests should be considered in the senator-judges' decision, at 13.9 percent. This compares with 8.8 percent in the Visayas, 8.1 percent in Metro Manila, and 4.7 percent in Luzon.
The lack of consensus among Filipinos on their preferred basis of senator-judges’ decision reflects the people’s hope for the impeachment court to be responsive to what they think should be done to the vice president.
Conducted from July 13 to 16, the National Momentum Survey was carried out through face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,438 Filipino adults. It has a national margin of error of ±2.6 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Subnational margins of error are ±7 percent for the National Capital Region, ±4 percent for the Rest of Luzon (North, South, and Central Luzon), ±6 percent for Visayas, and ±5 percent for Mindanao — all at a 95 percent confidence level. PR
