Filipinos are drawing sharp distinctions among the charges against Vice President Sara Duterte, and one accusation stands above the rest in the public mind: bribery. A nationwide OCTA Research survey found that 43 percent of respondents named it the most serious impeachment charge she faces, a figure that held firm across regions, income brackets, and age groups.
OCTA framed the result as evidence of a discerning public rather than a partisan one. “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,” the research firm said. It added that respondents were weighing the accusations individually instead of reducing the impeachment complaint to a single measure of support for or opposition to the constitutional process.
The alleged misuse of confidential funds placed second nationally, cited by 28 percent, though its standing varied considerably by location. While it trailed bribery overall, the confidential-funds issue surfaced as the top concern in several regions, among them Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa and Caraga — a divergence OCTA pointed to as proof that regional priorities do not move in lockstep. Unexplained wealth and grave threats each drew 10 percent, while eight percent said they could not identify which of the Articles of Impeachment struck them as most serious.
Age shaped the responses as well. Among Filipinos aged 18 to 24, the confidential-funds allegation registered strongly, chosen by 35 percent, and it drew 31 percent among those aged 25 to 34, pointing to heightened concern over financial accountability among younger adults. At the other end of the spectrum, uncertainty peaked among the oldest respondents, with 14 percent of those 75 and above unable to name a leading charge.
Bribery’s dominance was most pronounced in the Cordillera Administrative Region. There, 75 percent of respondents singled it out — the highest share recorded anywhere in the survey — followed by Central Visayas at 66 percent, the Negros Island Region at 65 percent, SOCCSKSARGEN at 63 percent, and the Davao Region at 60 percent.
House trial spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur read the numbers as a signal about how the public views the proceedings themselves. He said the findings show Filipinos are treating the case against Duterte seriously and judging the charges on their merits, and that people expect the evidence to be laid out in full as the constitutional process runs its course.
The fieldwork ran from July 4 to 11, 2026. OCTA interviewed 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above through face-to-face interviews, with the non-commissioned poll carrying a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
