Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon expressed doubt that a potential conviction of Vice President Sara Duterte would trigger widespread street demonstrations across the Philippines, citing survey data showing public acceptance of the upcoming impeachment ruling.
Speaking at a weekend news forum, Ridon pointed to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from September 21 to 27, which revealed that 51% of adult Filipinos believe the Senate impeachment court’s decision should be respected, regardless of whether it results in a conviction or acquittal. Meanwhile, 26% disagreed and 24% remained undecided.
Ridon, who serves as a member of the House prosecution panel, noted that while online reactions are expected, large-scale physical rallies are unlikely given the slim majority view.
“Magkakaroon ng pagtitipon sa social media siguro para po dito, pero hindi ko po tiyak kung magkakaroon po ng pagtitipon sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Pilipinas,” Ridon said.
“So kung ganoon po ’yung, siyempre very slim majority view, I would expect na wala pong public support for any protest actions for the Vice President in the event that she gets convicted,” he added.
However, private prosecutor Atty. Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. questioned whether the SWS survey still reflects current public sentiment, describing the data as “stale” because it was gathered before the prosecution presented its evidence on alleged unexplained wealth and before three other charges were dropped.
The Senate impeachment court permitted the withdrawal of three articles of impeachment on October 13, leaving Article II on unexplained wealth as the sole remaining ground against the Vice President.
Despite questioning the timeliness of the poll, Tolosa emphasized that the legal battle depends strictly on evidence rather than popularity.
“If you’re talking about the SWS survey, ’yan nga, sa tingin namin medyo stale siya dahil it was conducted at the time nang pinag-uusapan pa lamang hindi pa ’yung article on unexplained wealth,” Tolosa said.
“So again, I think itong mga ganitong klaseng surveys, they could provide valuable guidance. But at the end of the day, as mentioned by Cong. Terry, it’s not a popularity contest,” he stated, adding that the court’s verdict must rely strictly on the merits presented by both sides.