Marcos insists he is against Duterte impeachment

National

“WHY do I have to keep on explaining that I do not want the impeachment?”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. posed this question as he reaffirmed his opposition to the ongoing efforts to remove Vice President Sara Duterte from office.

The president’s remarks came just days ahead of the Senate’s expected commencement of the impeachment trial. He has repeatedly distanced himself from the process, stressing that he does not support the move initiated by the House of Representatives.

Public opinion appears to mirror the President’s stance. A nationwide Pulse Asia survey conducted from May 6 to 9 found that 50 percent of respondents opposed the impeachment of the Vice President. Only 28 percent expressed agreement, while 21 percent remained undecided.

The numbers show little variation from previous months. Opposition to the impeachment stood at 51 percent in March and 45 percent in February. Support, meanwhile, inched up from 26 percent in February to 28 percent in March.

Disagreement with the impeachment was particularly high in Mindanao, Duterte’s political stronghold, where 96 percent of respondents rejected the move. The Visayas followed with 53 percent, while Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon posted 32 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

In terms of support, Metro Manila and Luzon each recorded 40 percent, while the Visayas had 29 percent. Only 1 percent in Mindanao backed the complaint.

The survey also highlighted differences based on socio-economic class. Support for impeachment was highest among Classes ABC (37 percent), followed by Class D (28 percent) and Class E (13 percent). Conversely, Class E showed the highest level of opposition at 68 percent, with Class D at 50 percent and Class ABC at 40 percent.

The survey involved 1,200 respondents and has a margin of error of plus/minus three percent.

Despite the figures, lawmakers involved in the impeachment proceedings urged caution in interpreting public opinion. Representative Rodge Gutierrez of the 1-RIDER Party-list, one of the House prosecutors, emphasized that constitutional processes should not be swayed by surveys.

Despite the survey findings, members of the impeachment panel urged caution in interpreting public sentiment. 1-RIDER Party-list Representative Rodge Gutierrez, one of the House prosecutors, said public opinion should not dictate constitutional proceedings. He noted that recent senatorial elections demonstrated how pre-election polling can be unreliable, citing the surprise victories of Bam Aquino and Francis Pangilinan.

“In relation to the prosecution, personally I can’t speak for everyone else, but we have to take it with a grain of salt,” Gutierrez said in a report by Philstar.

Newly installed House of Representatives spokesperson Princess Abante shared a similar view. She emphasized that polling data in previous elections did not always align with actual results, and cautioned against relying too heavily on survey figures when assessing the direction of significant political processes.(MyTVCebu)