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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Hindi importante': Prosecution panel sounds off on VP Sara's 'good' satisfaction rating

'Hindi importante': Prosecution panel sounds off on VP Sara's 'good' satisfaction rating

Published Jul 17, 2026 10:35 pm

At A Glance

  • The House prosecution panel dismisses VP Sara Duterte's "good" survey rating, stressing that popularity is irrelevant in the Senate impeachment trial.
  • Robert Ace Barbers highlights the need to present evidence, so Filipinos can form informed conclusions on the case.
  • Private prosecutor Benjamin Tolosa Jr. affirms the trial as a constitutional accountability process, now entering its third week.
Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)


Evidence--not a person's popularity--is the thing that matters most in a Senate impeachment trial.
Thus, said the House prosecution panel in reaction to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey results, which showed impeachment respondent Vice President Sara Duterte posting a “good” net satisfaction rating of +31 in June, slightly up from +29 in March.
House impeachment adviser and prosecution panel spokesperson Robert Ace Barbers was indifferent about the numbers.
“Hindi importante sa ngayon kung sino ang popular, dahil hindi nga po ito popularity contest o beauty pageant,” Barbers said during a press briefing Friday, July 17.
(It is not important right now who is popular, because this is not a popularity contest or a beauty pageant.)
The former three-term Surigao del Norte congressman said it would be difficult to draw conclusions from the survey results without first knowing the exact questions asked and what respondents were evaluating.
Instead, he urged the public to closely follow the presentation of evidence in the ongoing impeachment trial against the lady official.
“Ang ating importanteng makita at mabigyan ng pansin, ang paglalatag ng ebidensya. Dapat marinig, maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan, nang sa ganun magkaroon sila ng sariling konklusyon o opinyon dito sa usapin ng impeachment,” Barbers said.
(What is important to see and focus on is the presentation of evidence. Our people must hear and understand it, so they can form their own conclusions or opinions on the impeachment issue.)
He acknowledged that impeachment proceedings can be difficult for the public to understand because they involve legal and constitutional issues, but said the evidence presented in court would allow Filipinos to make an informed judgment.
“Kaya nga isa sa mga pamamaraan para ito maintindihan ng ating mga kababayan ay mailatag natin ang ebidensya. At diyan mismo siguro, that will already help the people to come up with conclusions or opinions on the issue,” he said.
(That is why one way for our people to understand is for us to lay out the evidence. And from there, that will already help them come up with conclusions or opinions on the issue.)
Private prosecutor, lawyer Benjamin Tolosa Jr. agreed with Barbers's points.
“This is not a popularity contest. It’s a constitutional accountability mechanism,” Tolosa said of the trial, which could have have carried out against Duterte as early as last year when she was impeached the first time
The prosecution team maintained that survey respondents may approve of particular services delivered by the Vice President and still support a constitutional inquiry into separate allegations concerning grave threats, confidential funds misuse, bribery, and unexplained wealth.
The high-stakes trial enters its third week on Monday, July 20.
The Constitution empowers the Senate to determine whether an impeachable official committed culpable violations, graft and corruption, other high crimes or betrayal of public trust, without making popularity a defense against accountability.

Related Tags

Sara Duterte SWS Impeachment Robert Ace Barbers Benjamin Tolosa Popularity evidence
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