The vast majority of Filipinos are undecided if the Senate will handle Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial impartially, an OCTA Research survey showed on Thursday.

"With 81 percent undecided, the findings underscore the importance of a verdict grounded in evidence and the merits of the case and not solely on political considerations," the survey stated.

"The April 2026 Tugon ng Masa Survey finds that public confidence in the Senate's anticipated handling of the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio remains limited and varies considerably across regions and socioeconomic classes," it added.

The survey was conducted from April 20 to 24, or prior to the commencement of any impeachment trial proceedings in the Senate and during the Senate presidency of Vicente Sotto III

OCTA noted that the survey "reflect public expectations, perceptions, and anticipations regarding the Senate's prospective role as an impeachment court rather than evaluations of its actual conduct during the proceedings."

"The survey therefore provides an important baseline measure of public expectations regarding the fairness, impartiality, and legitimacy of the impeachment process before the trial began and before subsequent political, procedural, and institutional developments in the Senate unfolded," the summary said.

Weeks after the survey, Sotto was ousted as senate president and replaced by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano last May 11 where Senator Ronald Dela Rosa was pursued by the agents of the National Bureau of Investigation to implement his warrant of arrest by the Internal Criminal Court (ICC).

The group of Sotto, led by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, ousted Cayetano on June 3, after Senator Francis Escudero shifted his support to Gatchalian.

Gatchalian was elected as the new Senate pro tempore and acting Senate president under a 12-man quorum.

Despite the assertion of Cayetano that Senate Presidency should get a majority vote of 13 not 12, Cayetano give up his post after Senator Joel Villanueva also shift his support to Gatchalian who officially elected as Senate president on June 17 while Sotto was also installed as the the Senate pro tempore. Robina Asido/PHS