SWS: More Filipinos disbelieve than believe accusations against Sara Duterte

MANILA — More Filipinos disbelieve than believe the four accusations surveyed against Vice-President Sara Duterte, with public scepticism strongest over the allegation that she threatened to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Wednesday, October 28.

The survey found that the four accusations recorded negative net belief scores ranging from -9 to -21, indicating that more respondents rejected the allegations than believed them. The findings reflect public perceptions of the accusations, not a judicial determination of their truth or falsity.

The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,500 Filipino adults from September 21 to 27, before the Senate impeachment court granted the prosecution's motion on October 13 to drop three of the four articles of impeachment against Duterte.

The results were released weeks after that development. Of the four articles, only the allegation concerning unexplained wealth remained in the impeachment proceedings, according to SWS.

Assassination threat allegation draws greatest disbelief

The allegation that Duterte threatened to have Marcos, the First Lady and Romualdez assassinated received the lowest level of public belief among the four accusations.

Only 23 per cent of respondents said they believed the allegation, while 44 per cent said they did not, resulting in a net belief score of -21.

The finding marks a substantial change from December 2024, when 36 per cent believed the allegation and 31 per cent did not, giving it a positive net belief score of +5.

By September 2026, disbelief had overtaken belief by 21 percentage points.

The three other accusations also received negative net belief scores.

On the alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice-President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), 29 per cent believed the accusation, while 38 per cent did not. The resulting net belief score was -9.

Regarding alleged unexplained wealth not fully declared in Duterte's Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), 25 per cent believed the accusation, compared with 38 per cent who did not, producing a net belief score of -12.

Meanwhile, 27 per cent believed the allegation that Duterte bribed DepEd officials in connection with procurement irregularities, while 39 per cent did not. This also resulted in a net belief score of -12.

The findings show that none of the four accusations received a higher level of public belief than disbelief among respondents.

Majority say Duterte should testify personally

Despite the prevailing disbelief in the accusations, most respondents said it was important for Duterte to testify personally during her impeachment trial.

The survey found that 78 per cent considered her personal testimony important, while 15 per cent said it was not important. The remaining respondents either did not know enough to express an opinion or did not provide a definitive answer.

Support for her personal appearance was highest in Metro Manila at 84 per cent, followed by Balance Luzon at 80 per cent, the Visayas at 76 per cent and Mindanao at 71 per cent.

The finding indicates that a large majority of respondents wanted Duterte to personally address the allegations against her, even as more respondents expressed disbelief than belief in each accusation.

Duterte's defence receives higher satisfaction rating

The SWS survey also found that respondents were more satisfied with the fairness of Duterte's legal defence than with the House prosecution's handling of the impeachment case.

Forty-seven per cent of respondents were satisfied with the fairness of the Vice-President's defence, while 24 per cent were dissatisfied. This gave her defence a net satisfaction rating of +23.

In comparison, 30 per cent were satisfied with the fairness of the prosecution, while 35 per cent were dissatisfied, resulting in a negative net satisfaction rating of -5. Another 36 per cent were undecided about the prosecution's fairness.

The prosecution's rating was lower than those recorded during the impeachment trials of former President Joseph Estrada and former Chief Justice Renato Corona.

During Estrada's impeachment trial, the prosecution received net satisfaction ratings of +19 in December 2000 and +21 in January 2001. The prosecution in Corona's trial received a rating of +39 in March 2012.

Duterte's defence rating of +23 was comparable to the +25 recorded for Estrada's defence in December 2000, but lower than its +38 rating in January 2001 and Corona's +31 in March 2012.

Acceptability of impeachment court's decision

The survey also found that a majority of respondents believed the Senate's eventual decision in Duterte's impeachment trial should be accepted, whether she is acquitted or convicted. On this statement, 51 per cent agreed, including 31 per cent who strongly agreed and 20 per cent who somewhat agreed. Meanwhile, 26 per cent disagreed, while 24 per cent were undecided, resulting in a net agreement score of +25.

In a separate survey, Duterte's net satisfaction rating fell by 10 points between June and September 2026, with declines recorded in Balance Luzon, Mindanao and the Visayas. Her rating in Metro Manila remained unchanged.

SWS said the survey was non-commissioned and conducted on its own initiative.