Stop impeachment amid Duterte ratings? This ain’t a pageant – Barbers

MANILA, Philippines — The argument that the impeachment proceedings should be stopped because Vice President Sara Duterte enjoys high satisfaction ratings is misplaced, as the pursuit of accountability is not a popularity contest or a beauty pageant, prosecution panel spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers said on Friday.

Barbers and members of the House of Representatives’ prosecution team were asked during a press briefing about the call of some Duterte supporters to stop her trial after a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 58 percent of respondents were satisfied with her performance while only 26 percent were not — leading to a net score of +31.

READ: SWS: Sara Duterte’s net satisfaction rating rises to 31 points

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According to Barbers, what is important now is for the public to see the evidence gathered by the prosecution in relation to the accusations against Duterte.

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“It is not important for us who is popular, because this is not a popularity contest or a beauty pageant.  The important thing that we have to see and to pay attention to is the presentation of evidence,” Barbers, also a former representative of Surigao del Norte, said in Filipino.

“The people should be able to hear and understand the evidence in order for them to have their own conclusion or opinion regarding the impeachment discussions,” he added.

Lawyer Benjamin Tolosa Jr., one of the counsel for the prosecution team who also acts as legal spokesperson, agreed with Barbers’ view that the impeachment is not a popularity contest.

Tolosa noted that during the impeachment trial of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, a lot of people were also not supportive of the process.  However, Tolosa said it changed after people were able to see evidence linked to the Articles of Impeachment against Corona.

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“As Cong. Ace said, this is not a popularity contest, it’s a constitutional accountability mechanism.  And it would be good to remember what happened during the impeachment trial of the late CJ Corona, if we can recall, at the start, the public support towards the impeachment proceedings was not high,” Tolosa said partly in Filipino.

“But when they started to see the evidence that were presented in the course of the proceedings, the tides changed.  That’s why our constant request is for people not to prejudge this process, our appeal is for them to intently monitor and follow the impeachment proceedings, and listen and examine all pieces of evidence,” he added.

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The SWS survey released on Thursday showed that Duterte’s net satisfaction rating was classified as “good” as it rose to 31 points in June 2026 — up from the moderate score of +29 last March 2026.

The score was obtained after a national survey conducted by SWS on June 20-29, 2026.  This was an increase to the 54 percent satisfaction rating she got last March 2026.

“The 2-point increase in Vice President Duterte’s net satisfaction rating from March 2026 to June 2026 was due to an increase in Balance Luzon, combined with a smaller increase in Mindanao and a decrease in Metro Manila, while the Visayas held steady,” SWS said in a media release.

Duterte’s net satisfaction rating was still the highest in her home region of Mindanao, at +84 (excellent); followed by Visayas at +36 (good); Balance Luzon at +10 (moderate), and Metro Manila at +3 (neutral).

But Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, one of the 11 House prosecutors, said that satisfaction ratings are only an indication that the official mentioned performed her duties.  However, it does not mean that Duterte can escape accountability mechanisms.

“What we measure in survey ratings, satisfaction ratings, is whether the service delivery of our Vice President is good, so this means if she is doing good, and I think they gave a report showing that they are helping different sectors — which is being done by other government agencies,” he said in Filipino.

“But that doesn’t mean that the Senate Impeachment Court cannot test her regarding her alleged constitutional violations and betrayal of public trust […] so congratulations because she has high satisfaction ratings, but the impeachment proceedings will continue,” he added.

After months of waiting, and over a year since she was first impeached, the Senate Impeachment Court started the Vice President’s trial last July 6, with Article IV or the accusations that Duterte threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Since then, six trial dates have been held, with the first day being dedicated to administrative matters, four days to the prosecution’s presentation of two witnesses, and one day for oral arguments on the request to subpoena Duterte’s tax documents and bank records.

On Monday, the Senate Impeachment Court is expected to resume oral arguments on Duterte’s tax and bank records.

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After wrapping up Article IV, the prosecution expects to start discussing and presenting evidence for Article I, or the allegation that Duterte misused confidential funds allocated to her offices. /jpv