MANILA — Two lawmakers said the strong public demand for Vice President Sara Duterte to personally appear before a possible Senate impeachment trial reflects the seriousness of the allegations raised against her in the Articles of Impeachment and House clarificatory hearings.

Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre made the remarks after a Tangere survey released Wednesday showed that 90 percent of respondents want Duterte to appear before the Senate, while 82 percent said she should personally attend the proceedings instead of relying only on her legal team.

Only 8 percent of respondents said the Vice President’s lawyers would be enough to represent her, while 7 percent believed she should not face the Senate at all.

The survey also showed support for Duterte’s personal appearance across political groups, with 94 percent of respondents aligned with the Marcos administration favoring her attendance, followed by 92 percent of Liberal Party supporters, 90 percent of unaffiliated respondents, and 70 percent of Duterte supporters.

Adiong said the survey results reflected the public sentiment following the House proceedings.

“Hindi nakakapagtaka na halos siyam sa bawat sampung Pilipino gustong humarap si VP Sara sa Senate trial. Sa bigat ng ebidensya, hindi abogado ang hinahanap ng tao. Ang hinahanap nila, si VP Sara mismo (It’s no surprise that 9 of 10 Filipinos want VP Sara in a Senate trial. With the weight of the evidence, the people do not want to see lawyers. They want VP Sara herself),” Adiong said in a statement.

He said the public’s demand was understandable given the allegations tied to confidential funds, money trails, and other accusations raised against Duterte.

“Kung may tanong sa PHP612.5 million na confidential funds, sa PHP6.77 billion na money trail, sa cash envelopes sa DepEd, at sa mga bantang umabot hanggang assassination plot, natural lang na gusto ng publiko na humarap siya (If there are questions on the PHP612.5 million confidential funds, PHP6.77 billion in money trail, the cash envelopes at the Department of Education, and the threats that reached an assassination plot, it’s just natural for the public to want her to face the allegations),” he said.

Adiong also said the public now wants direct accountability from the Vice President herself.

“No amount of flourishes in her press releases nor drama in her legal counsels’ press conferences can replace that. Iyan ang pulso ng taumbayan (That’s the pulse of the people): VP Duterte herself should appear and answer in the proper forum,” he added.

Acidre, meanwhile, said the survey results were consistent with public reaction after the House hearings.

“Hindi nakakapagtaka ang survey. Matapos ang mga pagdinig, nakita ng tao na hindi ito isang isyu lang. Article I pa lang mabigat na, lalo na kapag pinagsama mo pa ang unexplained wealth, bribery, at grave threats (The results of the survey are no surprise. After the hearings, the people saw that it was not a simple issue. Article I alone was already serious, especially if you add up the unexplained wealth, bribery, and grave threats),” Acidre said in a separate statement.

He added that questions raised under Article II of the impeachment complaint also fueled calls for Duterte to personally respond to the accusations.

“Kung sa Article II pa lang may tanong na sa SALN at bilyon-bilyong galaw ng pera, bakit abogado lang ang magpapaliwanag? Siyempre gusto ng publiko, siya mismo ang sumagot (If there are already questions on her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and billions in money flows, why is it that only the lawyers are doing the explaining? Of course, the public wants her to personally respond),” Acidre said.

The House Justice Committee report contains four Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.

Article I accuses Duterte of the alleged misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education.

The article cites the disbursement of PHP125 million in late 2022, alleged use of unauthorized intermediaries, Commission on Audit disallowances, National Bureau of Investigation handwriting findings on acknowledgment receipts, and Philippine Statistics Authority verification issues involving names listed in the receipts.

Article II focuses on alleged unexplained wealth, including the increase in Duterte’s declared net worth from PHP7.25 million in 2007 to PHP88.51 million in 2024, despite an estimated lawful income of around PHP30 million. It also cites PHP6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions reflected in Anti-Money Laundering Council records involving Duterte and her spouse.

Article III accuses Duterte of bribery, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust over alleged cash payments to Department of Education officials.

Article IV accuses the Vice President of culpable violation of the Constitution, high crimes, and betrayal of public trust over the alleged assassination plot, grave threats, and inciting to sedition linked to her public statements and related acts.

The Tangere survey also found that about 60 percent of respondents believe Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, should also face Senate scrutiny over issues involving conjugal assets and shared legal interests.

Tangere said the survey was conducted from May 5 to 6 through a mobile-based application using stratified random sampling among 1,200 respondents nationwide. The poll had a margin of error of ±2.77 percent at a 95-percent confidence level.

Respondents included 45 percent Duterte supporters, 20 percent unaffiliated respondents, 20 percent Liberal Party supporters, and 15 percent aligned with the Marcos administration. Participants came from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.