Torn Between Loyalty and Justice: The Battle Over Sara Duterte’s Impeachment

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — May 28, 2025

Voices of a Divided Nation: Karina and Joel’s Story

In Manila’s chaotic Quiapo market, Karina Cruz, a 52-year-old street vendor, arranges her modest stall of dried fish and vegetables. She credits Vice President Sara Duterte’s education and welfare programs for keeping her children in school—lifelines in a city where survival often overshadows dignity. “She fights for us, the forgotten,” Karina says, her voice resolute amid the clamor of haggling vendors. Yet in a Quezon City government office, 35-year-old civil servant Joel Dela Cruz sees a darker truth. “Misused funds, incitement—it’s corruption we can’t ignore,” he insists, his eyes sharp with concern. “If we let this pass, what’s left of accountability?”

Their clashing perspectives mirror a stark divide captured in Pulse Asia’s latest survey, released yesterday, on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. Conducted from May 6 to 9, 2025, with 1,200 registered voters, the poll shows 50% oppose impeachment, 28% support it, and 21% are undecided. The question burns: Why do half of Filipinos shield Duterte despite allegations of misused public funds, incitement to sedition, and grave threats, while over a quarter demand justice? Is this a collapse of democratic trust or a masterstroke of populist propaganda?

Shifting Sands: Decoding the Survey’s Surge

The Pulse Asia survey reveals a nation sliding toward polarization. In February 2025, 45% opposed impeachment, 26% supported it, and 23% were undecided. By March, opposition spiked to 51%, support dropped to 18%, and 25% couldn’t say. Now, in May, opposition holds at 50%, but support has surged 10 points to 28%, with undecided voters shrinking to 21%. This leap in pro-impeachment sentiment aligns with intensified House hearings, suggesting that Speaker Martin Romualdez’s relentless probes—fueled by allegations of financial misconduct—are swaying minds.

Yet the survey’s reliability invites scrutiny. With a ±2.8% margin of error and a 1,200-person sample, it’s statistically robust, but gaps persist. Pulse Asia doesn’t break down urban-rural or class demographics in this release, though February data showed 88% opposition in rural Mindanao—Duterte’s base—versus 45% support in Metro Manila. This suggests rural reliance on patronage clashes with urban demands for accountability. Without detailed sampling data, we’re left questioning whether the poll truly captures the Philippines’ diverse pulse.

Worse, whispers of manipulation cloud the results. On X, the hashtag #FalseAsia trended post-survey, with users alleging skewed data. Some tie this to Duterte’s allies, like Hakbang ng Maisug, known for rallying against impeachment. Is this genuine public doubt or a calculated disinformation blitz by the Duterte camp to erode trust in unfavorable polls? The opacity of Pulse Asia’s raw data only deepens the skepticism, exposing the vulnerability of public opinion in a polarized era.

Dynastic Duel: The Marcos-Duterte War Unfolds

The impeachment saga is rooted in the fractured 2022 Marcos-Duterte alliance, once a juggernaut that swept the elections. The rift ignited over confidential fund disputes, with Romualdez, a Marcos loyalist, leading the House’s impeachment charge in December 2024, alleging financial misconduct and, later, incitement to sedition based on Duterte’s 2024 press conference remarks, per Philippine News Agency. With the Senate trial looming on June 3, the stakes are sky-high, especially after Rodrigo Duterte’s transfer to the International Criminal Court in March 2025 for crimes against humanity. Duterte allies like Senators Bong Go and Ronald dela Rosa gained ground in March 2025 senatorial polls, signaling a resurgent Duterte machine.

Media fuels the fire. Pro-Duterte social media paints the impeachment as a “witch hunt,” capitalizing on Sara’s 59% approval rating in March 2025, the highest among top officials. Mainstream outlets like GMA and Inquirer push accountability but avoid direct attacks to preserve Marcos’ coalition, per Philstar. The 2025 midterms loom large: Duterte-backed candidates are gaining, while Marcos’ Alyansa slate falters, per Straits Times. By 2028, Sara leads presidential polls with 39% support, per Reuters, making this trial a referendum on her political future.

Roots of Division: Patronage, Cynicism, and Strongman Nostalgia

The survey’s 50% opposition reflects deep-seated distrust in institutions, echoing past impeachments like those of President Joseph Estrada in 2001 and Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012, often viewed as elite power plays. Rodrigo Duterte’s 63% trust rating dwarfs Marcos’ 32%, signaling nostalgia for his iron-fisted rule, which Sara inherits. In impoverished regions like Mindanao, where poverty rates soar, Duterte’s aid programs—however flawed—are lifelines, tying loyalty to patronage. Urban centers, less dependent on such aid, favor accountability, as seen in Metro Manila’s higher impeachment support.

This split reveals institutional decay. Only 21% trust the Senate to deliver a fair trial, per February polls, while 35% do not. The 21% undecided voters in May are pivotal—potentially swayed by transparent evidence or drowned in PR noise.

Charting the Future: Healing a Fractured Nation

Journalists must pierce the disinformation haze, demanding clear evidence on impeachment charges. Lawmakers should court the 21% undecided through open forums, fostering reason over rhetoric. Civil society must watchdog platforms like X for astroturfing, like the #FalseAsia surge, to protect public discourse. Long-term, judicial reforms are critical to depoliticize impeachment, ensuring it serves justice, not dynastic feuds.

For Karina, the vendor, and Joel, the civil servant, the survey lays bare a nation caught between fear of instability and a thirst for accountability—a rift no trial alone can mend. Without systemic change to tackle poverty, patronage, and distrust, Filipinos will remain trapped in a dynastic tug-of-war, their voices loud but unresolved.