Putting his Nostradamus hat on, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon is predicting that presidential aspirant Vice President Sara Duterte's distrust rating will go o further in the coming months.

Ridon said on Saturday, March 28 that he expected the public to catch on to Duterte’s continued evasion of serious corruption allegations as well as her reliance on legal efforts to halt the House of Representatives' impeachment proceedings against her.

The lawyer-legislator cited the results of a Pulse Asia survey, which showed that 51.5 percent of respondents distrust Duterte. The top reason? Her alleged involvement in corrupt activities cited as the top reason across all regions and socio-economic classes.

“The 51.5 percent distrust is not accidental. It is the direct result of the continued evasion of serious allegations, especially on confidential funds,” said Ridon, a member of the House Committee on Justice that had been holding impeachment hearings against the second highest official of the land.

According to him, the survey period has not yet captured the public’s reaction to the latest Supreme Court (SC) petition from the Vice President’s supporters. The petition is seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the impeachment proceedings, which is now on the determination of probable cause.

“This survey is a baseline of distrust before her latest legal maneuver. By running to the high court to block the 17-year audit of her tax and business records, she is only reinforcing the public’s worst fears," Ridon said.

"If 51 percent distrusted her then, that number will surely climb now that she is actively trying to suppress the evidence,” the party-list solon added.

He says Duterte’s refusal to directly respond, along with her failure to personally face the justice panel proceedings, has reinforced the perception that she is avoiding accountability.

“When you do not show up and you do not answer, the public sees that as evasion. That is exactly what the survey is capturing. Whether through non-attendance or legal maneuvers, the effect is the same—an attempt to stop the process instead of answering the allegations,” Ridon said.

The survey results also showed that 21.4 percent of respondents cited Duterte’s threats against the administration and her critics as another reason for distrust, including her November 2024 remarks regarding a supposed assassination plot against several people including President Marcos.

Ridon said even undecided poll respondents flagged Duterte’s failure to address allegations and her refusal to face investigations.

“The public is not asking for rhetoric or legal word salad. They are asking for clear, direct answers about ₱612.5 million in confidential funds and her ₱50-million wealth gap. These are evidence-based proceedings anchored on sworn records—you cannot 'petition' your way out of a forensic audit,” Ridon stressed.

Ridon says that continued evasion would further erode the Vice President's standing, even as she prepares for a presidential campaign in 2028.

He says the justice committee is expecting government agencies to submit tax, business and SALN documents of the Vice President in the coming days, in compliance with subpoenas issued by the panel.

“The subpoenas will be complied with. The Duterte financial documents will see the light of day in the coming days. The longer the answers do not come, the stronger the distrust becomes. You can delay a hearing, but you cannot delay the public’s verdict on your character,” Ridon concluded.