The number of Filipinos who see Vice President Sara Duterte acquitted in her Senate impeachment trial is just four percentage points higher than those who voted for his conviction and removal, an OCTA Research survey showed on Wednesday.

The third quarter survey was conducted from September 28 to October 4 or almost three months since the impeachment trial of Duterte was started last July 6.

The survey shows that in the second quarter survey which was done from July 4 to 11, twenty one percent of adult Filipinos who seek the acquittal of Duterte which became 25 percent in the third quarter.

However, 17 percent of respondents who voted for her conviction and removal from office in the second quarter grew to 21 percent in the third quarter.

"The two ends of the country moved in opposite directions. In NCR, conviction nearly doubled, from 19 percent to 34 percent, while acquittal declined from 21 percent to 17 percent. In Mindanao, acquittal rose from 41 percent to 52 percent, while conviction remained in single digits (6 percent to 9 percent)," it stated.

"Within Mindanao, acquittal growth was not confined to the Davao Region, where it was already high and remains so (61 percent to 64 percent)," the survey added.

The survey noted that "larger increases were recorded in BARMM (49 percent to 76 percent) and the Zamboanga Peninsula (28 percent to 48 percent), with smaller gains in Northern Mindanao (36 percent to 44 percent) and SOCCSKSARGEN (42 percent to 49 percent)" while "CARAGA is the exception, with 72 percent still waiting for the evidence."

The survey shows that in the second quarter 55 percent of adult Filipinos wanted to see the evidence first and that group is now 47 percent in the 3rd quarter of 2026.

"Within Q3, the four-point difference between acquittal and conviction is at the margin of statistical significance, so the two camps should be treated as broadly comparable in size," the survey stressed.

The impeachment trial of Duterte was adjourned last week and is scheduled to resume on November 9. Robina Asido/PHS