MORE Filipinos are satisfied with the fairness of Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio’s defense counsel than the House of Representatives prosecution panel in her impeachment trial, according to a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey.
In its September survey, SWS found that nearly half (47%) of adult Filipinos were satisfied with the defense team, saying they handled the impeachment trial “in a just manner.” This is against 30% who were satisfied with the prosecution.
These translated into net satisfaction scores of +23 and -5, respectively, with the prosecution’s rating lower than the two SWS impeachment surveys conducted in December 2024 and June this year.
“Except during the Corona trial, net satisfaction was always lower with the prosecution than with the defense,” SWS noted.
During the impeachment trial of former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, the prosecution’s net satisfaction was +21 with 42% satisfied and 21% dissatisfied, while the trial of former Chief Justice Renato Tereso Antonio C. Corona saw +39, where 54% were satisfied and 15% dissatisfied.
The noncommissioned survey, released on Wednesday, was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,500 respondents aged 18 years old and above. It was held on Sept. 21 to 27, just before the House prosecution dropped three of the four articles of impeachment against Ms. Duterte.
Meanwhile, the House prosecution panel linked the public dissatisfaction to the pace of the impeachment trial of Ms. Duterte, saying it wants to prevent unnecessary delays in the proceedings.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Ziaur-Rahman A. Adiong, the panel’s spokesperson, said on Thursday that the prosecution recognized the public’s impatience and was seeking to expedite the trial as the defense prepares to present its evidence.
“I saw that because our trial was long, our public experienced a sort of dissatisfaction,” Mr. Adiong said in Filipino during a press briefing.
He said the prosecution needed only one conviction on a single impeachment article to remove Ms. Duterte from office, making it unnecessary to pursue the remaining three articles if the objective was to secure her removal.
The prosecution’s remarks came as an SWS survey showed that 78% of adult Filipinos considered it important for Ms. Duterte to personally testify on allegations of unexplained wealth.
The survey found that 59% considered her testimony definitely important, while 19% said it was somewhat important.
Mr. Adiong said the findings reflected public demand for Ms. Duterte to explain discrepancies between her declared assets and financial records presented during the trial.
The prosecution earlier presented forensic accounting expert Alexander B. Cabrera, who estimated at least P817.87 million in allegedly undeclared assets and unexplained wealth involving Ms. Duterte and her husband, Manases “Mans” R. Carpio.
The analysis covered 2022 to 2025 and included bank balances, property interests and income discrepancies.
Ms. Duterte has denied wrongdoing, while her defense has challenged the prosecution’s financial evidence.
Mr. Adiong said the prosecution remained focused on accountability and alleged constitutional violations involving the Vice-President’s declared income and assets.
Her defense is scheduled to begin presenting evidence on Nov. 9. — Francessca S. Abalos and Pexcel John Bacon