55% say too early to determine impeach verdict – OCTA

MANILA, Philippines — A majority of Filipinos believe it is still too early to determine the verdict in the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, according to a survey conducted by the OCTA Research group.

Results of the July 4 to 11 survey found that 55 percent of the respondents prefer to see the evidence presented at trial first before deciding on a verdict.

The respondents were asked for the specific action they think the Senate impeachment court should take in relation to the trial.

Seventeen percent said the senator-judges should vote to convict, while 21 percent favored acquittal. Another seven percent were undecided.

“The current 55 percent evidence-first figure, together with the seven percent who remain undecided, may show that this support for the trial process has carried through into the trial itself: nearly two in three Filipinos have not yet settled on a verdict this early in the proceedings,” OCTA said.

“Rather than reflecting confusion or disengagement, this is consistent with a broader Filipino disposition toward due process – a preference to let the trial process run its course, and to treat conviction or acquittal as something that must be earned through evidence rather than assumed at the outset,” it added.