Impeachment court to decide based on evidence, spokesperson says amid SWS findings

MANILA — Recent survey results on public opinion on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte indicate a highly engaged citizenry, according to the Senate impeachment spokesperson.

Court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol added that the latest Social Weather Station survey also showed that the public recognizes the Senate as “the sole constitutional tribunal vested with the power to try and decide impeachment cases.” 

While Tongol acknowledged public interest in the case he stressed that “the senator-judges are bound by oath to render judgment strictly on the basis of law and admissible evidence.” 

He noted that while “SWS’s five-point scale recorded 28% with ‘much trust’ and 35% with ‘little trust’ in the final vote”, 32% said they are undecided.

He said the impeachment court sees the results as showing that “nearly a third of the nation is rightly withholding judgment until the defense presents its case and the trial is complete.”

“The Impeachment Court views these survey results with both quiet confidence in its even-handed procedure and a sober resolve to earn the trust of a cautious public,” he said.

Tongol also cited other statistics gathered by the SWS that 50% of Filipinos agree the Senate “has the right consideration for both sides” and that 51% “commit to accepting the Senate’s final verdict.”

Tongol said that rather than treating the numbers with complacency, the impeachment court views the remaining undecided and skeptical segments of the public as a continuing challenge to demonstrate transparent, rules-based impartiality. 

He said the court “will continue to enforce the rules of evidence and accord full due process to both sides, ensuring that its final constitutional judgment commands the respect of the entire nation” when proceedings resume on November 9.