MANILA – Most adult Filipinos believe senators should base their decision in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on law and evidence rather than politics, while bribery was identified as the most serious allegation against her, according to the results of a non-commissioned OCTA Research survey.

The survey, conducted through face-to-face interviews from July 4 to 11, 2026, covered 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above. It has a ±3 percent margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level, while subnational estimates for the National Capital Region, Balance Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao have a ±6 percent margin of error.

When asked what should matter most in senators’ votes on Duterte’s impeachment, 71 percent of respondents chose law and evidence, while 21 percent cited political considerations. Seven percent said they did not know.

“The findings suggest that Filipinos are expressing broader expectations about democratic governance. The results indicate that the public values institutional fairness, due process, and evidence-based decision-making, regardless of the eventual verdict,” OCTA said.

The research firm noted that respondents were not asked whether the Vice President should be convicted or acquitted.

“Instead, they were asked what should matter most when senators cast their votes.”

According to OCTA, the findings indicate that confidence in democratic institutions is strengthened when decisions are perceived to be based on constitutional standards, evidence and fairness instead of political expediency or partisan considerations.

Support for deciding the case based on law and evidence reached 77 percent in the National Capital Region, followed by Balance Luzon at 76 percent, the Visayas at 63 percent, and Mindanao at 62 percent.

Meanwhile, respondents favoring political considerations were highest in Western Visayas at 43 percent, followed by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at 36 percent, and Eastern Visayas and the Zamboanga Peninsula at 35 percent.

In a separate question, 43 percent of respondents identified bribery as the most serious impeachment allegation against Duterte.

The alleged misuse of confidential funds ranked second at 28 percent, followed by unexplained wealth and grave threats at 10 percent each. Eight percent said they did not know or could not identify the most serious allegation.

“The survey findings indicate that Filipinos do not view all impeachment charges with equal weight. Rather, they distinguish among the allegations and assign greater importance to some than others,” OCTA said.

Bribery received the highest share of responses in the Cordillera Administrative Region (75 percent), Central Visayas (66 percent), the Negros Island Region (65 percent), SOCCSKSARGEN (63 percent), and the Davao Region (60 percent).

Meanwhile, the alleged misuse of confidential funds was identified as the leading concern in the Ilocos Region (55 percent), Cagayan Valley (48 percent), MIMAROPA (56 percent), and Caraga (55 percent).

Across age groups, bribery remained the allegation most frequently identified as the most serious. It registered the highest support among respondents aged 25 to 34 at 52 percent, followed by those aged 35 to 44 at 46 percent.

Among respondents aged 18 to 24, bribery still ranked first with 38 percent, although 35 percent in the same age group identified the alleged misuse of confidential funds as the most serious charge. OCTA said this suggests that issues of financial accountability resonate more strongly with younger Filipinos.

The survey also found that uncertainty was highest among respondents aged 75 and above, with 14 percent saying they did not know or could not identify the most serious impeachment allegation.