Public awareness of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s International Criminal Court (ICC) case has declined significantly, according to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
The September poll revealed that 55% of Filipino adults kept up with updates regarding a filing by Duterte’s defense team, marking a sharp drop from 72% in June. Disengagement has steadily risen over the past year, with those paying no attention at all increasing from 14% in November 2025 to 28% in September 2026.
“The 55 percent who followed the reports in September 2026 was lower than the 72 percent in June 2026, 75 percent in March 2026, and 80 percent in November 2025 who followed earlier news about the case,” the report said.
“Those who said they did not follow at all rose from 14 percent in November 2025, 17 percent in March 2026, and 20 percent in June 2026, to 28 percent in September 2026,” the report added.
The September survey tracked coverage stemming from an August 31 filing by lead defense lawyer Atty. Peter Haynes, who urged ICC prosecutors to revise the Document Containing the Charges for greater clarity. Duterte’s trial is scheduled to begin on November 30 before ICC Trial Chamber III.
Despite falling public attention, confidence in a fair trial and trust in the court remained stable. The survey recorded a moderate net confidence rating of +16, comparable to +17 in June, alongside a moderate net trust rating of +10 among those familiar with the ICC.
“It was a good +39 among those with much confidence that the ICC will conduct a fair trial, a neutral +3 among the undecided, and a poor -29 among those with little confidence,” SWS noted.
The Third Quarter survey was conducted via in-person interviews with 1,500 adults nationwide from September 21 to 27, carrying a sampling error margin of ±3%.