Vice President Sara Duterte continues to hold strong public support and leads early presidential preference polls for 2028, according to the latest WR Numero Research survey conducted from March 31 to April 7.
Duterte received a 50% approval rating, showing a noticeable improvement from 41% in February. Only 21% disapproved of her performance, while 29% remained undecided.
In contrast, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s approval dipped slightly to 29%, down from 30% the previous month. Disapproval for Marcos reached 42%, while 29% expressed uncertainty.
Despite ongoing controversies and an impending impeachment trial, Duterte’s political prospects appear resilient. While 90.3% of those surveyed said they want the Vice President to face trial, only 9.7% believed she should step down beforehand. Meanwhile, 39% supported the Senate’s move to delay her impeachment proceedings until July 2025.
When asked how senators should vote in the trial, 50.3% said the decision should be based on evidence. Others were split between public sentiment (31.6%), personal conscience (6.7%), party loyalty (6.2%), and political beliefs (5.2%).
On the presidential race front, Duterte emerged as the frontrunner with 30.2% of respondents choosing her. She was trailed by Senator Raffy Tulfo at 17.9%, while 17.5% had yet to make a choice. Other names that surfaced included former VP Leni Robredo (12.7%), Grace Poe (4.7%), Bong Go (4%), Imee Marcos (3.8%), and Risa Hontiveros (2.3%).
As for the 2028 vice-presidential race, no clear favorite has emerged, with 30.7% still undecided. Grace Poe led the pack with 18.4%, followed by Robin Padilla (8.4%), Imee Marcos (7.4%), and Manny Pacquiao (5.2%).
While Senate hopefuls backed by both Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, are showing strength, they are only expected to secure a portion of the majority, based on recent pre-election surveys.
