MAJORITY of Filipinos, or around 66 percent, said Vice President Sara Duterte should address impeachment charges against her, a June 25 to 29 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.
The survey involved 1,200 adult respondents and was commissioned by Stratbase Group.
Duterte is facing seven articles of impeachment for alleged betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes, based on various allegations including her alleged misuse of some P612.5 million in confidential funds disbursed by the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President using alleged dubious recipients.
A Stratbase-commissioned SWS survey in May showed that 88 percent said Duterte should address the impeachment charges and answer all allegations pertaining to corruption to clear her name.
A similar survey conducted by OCTA Research, from April 20 to 24, showed that 78 percent of Filipinos want Duterte to face the impeachment while 13 percent are against it and 9 percent could not say if they agree with it or not.
The June 25 to 29 SWS survey showed 66 percent of Filipinos “agreed” that the Vice President should address and answer the charges against her while 19 percent “disagreed” and 15 percent were undecided.
The results showed that the majority of Filipinos across geographical areas (55 percent to 75 percent) and socio-economic status (62 percent to 73 percent) believe that Duterte should answer the impeachment complaint.
The number of those who said Duterte should answer the charges was highest in Metro Manila (75 percent) followed by Luzon (69 percent), the Visayas (67 percent), and Mindanao (55 percent); as well as from Class ABC (73 percent), followed by Class D (66 percent) and Class E (62 percent).
The survey also showed that that 44 percent of Filipinos believe that the Senate is deliberately delaying the start of the impeachment trial while 25 percent do not believe and 22 percent are undecided.
Belief that the Senate was deliberately delaying the start of the impeachment trial was highest in Luzon (49 percent), followed by Metro Manila (46 percent), Visayas (41 percent) and Mindanao (35 percent).
Sen. Raffy Tulfo said he will oppose any motion to dismiss the impeachment complaint without a trial.
Tulfo said a trial will give Duterte the chance to refute the allegations against her, as she has always been saying she is innocent of the charges.
“What will happen to the allegations against her if the complaint will be dismissed outright? … How can she tell the public she is innocent, that everything is just a product of one’s imagination? … It is in the trial where she will be proven guilty or innocent,” he said in Filipino.
Tulfo also there is no need to raise the issue of whether the Senate under the 20th Congress has jurisdiction over the impeachment complaint which was transmitted by the House to the Senate in February, under the 19th Congress.
He said it is clear that the Senate under the current 20th Congress has jurisdiction.
“There is jurisdiction and that should not be debated upon. There will be a hearing … Maybe there are some who will move to dismiss or junk it. No, I’m not for it. I want that there will be a trial so it can be proven, again for the nth time, that she is innocent like what she, her lawyers, her camp have been saying,” he said in mixed Filipino and English.
The plan to raise the jurisdiction issue was disclosed by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa last week. – With Raymond Africa
