58% of Filipinos back opening VP Duterte’s tax records at trial

 By Francis Allan L. Angelo

MANILA — Most Filipinos want Vice President Sara Duterte’s tax records opened and used as evidence in her impeachment trial, according to the inaugural issue of The National Momentum Survey released Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

The non-commissioned study by Momentum Research found that 57.9% of Filipinos said “yes” when asked in Filipino, “In your opinion, should the impeachment court allow VP Sara’s tax records to be opened and used as evidence?”

Those who said “no” to the disclosure comprised roughly a third of respondents at 32.3%, while 7.4% were unsure and 2.3% declined to answer.

Whether the tax records may be used as evidence is one of the most contested questions in the impeachment proceedings against the vice president.

Regionally, a majority of respondents answered “yes” except in Mindanao, where support stood at 36.4%. The island group is known as the Duterte family’s political stronghold.

The highest support for disclosure came from the Rest of Luzon at 66.1%, closely followed by Metro Manila at 65.2% and Visayas at 59.4%.

In Mindanao, around half of respondents, or 52.6%, opposed the disclosure. Opposition stood at 30.6% in Metro Manila, 27.5% in Visayas, and 24.6% in the Rest of Luzon.

Those unsure numbered 11.0% in Visayas, 7.2% in the Rest of Luzon, 7.0% in Mindanao, and 3.7% in Metro Manila. Refusals to answer were at 4.0% in Mindanao, 2.1% each in the Rest of Luzon and Visayas, and 0.5% in Metro Manila.

By political faction, opinion among Pro-Duterte respondents was closely divided, with 48.8% saying “no” and 43% saying “yes.” Another 5.6% were unsure and 2.6% declined to answer.

All other factions showed majority support for opening the records, led by Pro-Opposition respondents at 80.7%, or those who align themselves with former Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Sen. Bam Aquino, and their allies.

Pro-Marcos respondents followed at 73.5%, and Independents at 58.5%.

Opposition to disclosure reached 29.6% among Independents, 20.7% among Pro-Marcos respondents, and 15.5% among Pro-Opposition respondents. Those unsure were at 9.7%, 5.1%, and 3.0%, respectively, while refusals stood at 2.1%, 0.7%, and 0.8%.

The Senate impeachment court subpoenaed the tax records from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), which has a deadline of July 30.

While the court ruled in favor of the prosecution’s motions to subpoena the records, Senate President Chiz Escudero clarified that the subpoena does not guarantee disclosure.

Most and least convincing allegations

Respondents were also asked which among the four articles of impeachment they found most and least convincing.

Nearly 1 in 4 Filipinos, or 24.2%, cited the alleged misuse of confidential funds as most convincing.

This was followed by 16.2% who pointed to Duterte’s alleged grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his relatives.

Roughly a tenth of Filipinos, or 11%, considered her alleged unexplained wealth the most convincing, followed by 9.6% who cited the alleged bribery of Department of Education (DepEd) officials.

Notably, 22.4% of Filipinos said none of the allegations were convincing, while 13.2% were unsure and 3.4% declined to answer.

As to the least convincing allegation, a third of Filipinos, or 33.8%, mentioned the alleged grave threats.

This was followed by Duterte’s alleged unexplained wealth at 12.7%, the alleged misuse of confidential funds at 12.6%, and the alleged bribery of DepEd officials at 12.2%.

On the same question, 13.8% were unsure, 11.0% said none of the allegations were convincing, and 3.8% declined to answer.

The broader pattern across all four allegations, with none commanding a majority or even a clear plurality on either end, suggests that many Filipinos remain open to the possibility that the allegations could be true but want more evidence.

This tracks with another finding from the national survey, where 43.8% of Filipinos said it is still too early to say whether the vice president should be convicted or acquitted.

Conducted from July 13 to 16, 2026, the non-commissioned survey was done through face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,438 Filipino adults.

It has a ±2.6% national margin of error at a 95% confidence level. Subnational margins of error are ±7% for the National Capital Region, ±4% for the Rest of Luzon covering North, South, and Central Luzon, ±6% for Visayas, and ±5% for Mindanao, all at a 95% confidence level.

The National Momentum Survey is Momentum Research’s flagship initiative, capturing what Filipinos think, feel and stand for on the country’s most pressing sociopolitical issues.

The inaugural July 2026 issue covers public opinion on government performance, Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, and the 2028 National Elections.

Momentum Research is a nonpartisan public opinion research firm that provides leaders in the public and private sectors with data and insights on the attitudes and trends shaping Philippine politics and society.