Half of Filipinos find Sara Duterte’s business interests unacceptable

MANILA — Half of Filipino adults consider it unacceptable for Vice President Sara Duterte to own businesses or hold business interests while in office, according to the October 2026 National Momentum Survey.

Momentum Research, which released the findings on Nov. 12, said the non-commissioned survey asked Filipino adults nationwide whether they find it acceptable or unacceptable for Duterte to own businesses or hold business interests while serving as vice president.

The firm said it posed the question as the Constitution places restrictions on the business interests of the president, vice president, and members of the Cabinet.

The question, asked in Filipino, opened by telling respondents that the Constitution bars the president, vice president, and Cabinet members from any participation in business, according to the survey’s topline document.

The combined 50% who disapprove of the arrangement includes 41% who consider it unacceptable and 9% who consider it very unacceptable.

On the other hand, 36% express acceptance, comprising 32% who say it is acceptable and 4% who say it is very acceptable.

The remaining 14% are either unsure (11%) or refused to answer (3%).

Impeachment backdrop

The views come amid the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Duterte, with House prosecutors alleging that she failed to divest from her businesses after assuming office in June 2022.

Records from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) showed that Duterte remained a shareholder and board member of Metro City Chow Foods Corp. from 2022 to 2025.

SEC Company Registration and Monitoring Department Director Gerardo del Rosario told the Senate impeachment court on Sept. 21 that Duterte held a 20% stake in the Davao City-based company.

Prosecutors also flagged her declared interest in GenCorp Industries Inc., whose government contracts, including transactions with the Davao City government, have drawn scrutiny amid discrepancies between her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) and corporate records.

Article VII, Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution bars the president, vice president, Cabinet members, and their deputies or assistants from directly or indirectly participating in any business during their tenure.

The same provision prohibits them from being financially interested in any contract with the government.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte for the second time in May 2026.

The Senate trial has since narrowed to a single charge after the prosecution withdrew three of the four articles of impeachment on Oct. 13.

The remaining charge, Article II, covers alleged unexplained wealth, inaccurate asset declarations, and failure to divest business interests.

Momentum Research conducted its interviews from Oct. 16 to 19, days after the withdrawal and about three weeks before the defense began presenting evidence on Nov. 9.

On Nov. 11, defense witness Suzette Balucanag-Punay, in-house counsel of GenCorp and Metro City Chow, told the impeachment court that Duterte received PHP 2.14 million from GenCorp from 2022 to 2025 out of what she described as a “loose investment.”

Balucanag-Punay also testified that Duterte is not a shareholder of GenCorp.

Defense spokesperson Michael Poa said other witnesses would explain why the company appears in Duterte’s SALNs while SEC documents show otherwise.

Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, the vice president’s brother, earlier said he and other city officials had no knowledge of her interest in GenCorp.

The impeachment court has yet to rule on the charge.

Views by political faction

Political affiliations reflect contrasting views on Duterte’s business interests, with pro-opposition adults expressing the strongest disapproval and pro-Duterte adults showing greater acceptance of the arrangement.

Almost 3 in 4 pro-opposition adults (73%) consider Duterte’s business interests while in office unacceptable, compared with a fifth (21%) who find them acceptable.

Momentum Research defines pro-opposition adults as those who align themselves with former Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Bam Aquino, and Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

Pro-Marcos adults also largely disapprove, with 62% finding the arrangement unacceptable and a third (33%) considering it acceptable.

Similarly, 52% of independents find Duterte’s business interests unacceptable, compared with 33% who find them acceptable.

Pro-Duterte adults, meanwhile, make up the only political faction with more members considering the arrangement acceptable (52%) than unacceptable (35%).

Views by region

Regional views also vary, with Metro Manila recording the highest share of disapproval and Mindanao standing out as the only region where more adults find Duterte’s business interests acceptable.

Two-thirds of adults in Metro Manila (66%) consider the arrangement unacceptable, followed by the rest of Luzon (58%).

In both areas, disapproval outweighs acceptance, with only 30% and 32%, respectively, considering the arrangement acceptable.

In the Visayas, half (50%) consider the arrangement unacceptable, compared with 31% who find it acceptable.

Another 19% of Visayas respondents are unsure or refused to answer.

Mindanao shows a contrasting pattern, with a larger share (52%) considering Duterte’s business interests acceptable than unacceptable (24%).

The region also holds the highest share of adults who are unsure or refused to answer, at a combined 25%.

Mindanao is the home region of Duterte, who served as Davao City mayor before she was elected vice president in 2022.

Views by generation

Generational differences also emerge, with baby boomers and the Silent Generation expressing the strongest disapproval of a public official holding business interests while in office.

Around 3 in 5 baby boomers and Silent Generation respondents (62%) consider the arrangement unacceptable, compared with 16% who find it acceptable.

More than half of Gen Z (54%) and Gen X (52%) respondents also consider the arrangement unacceptable rather than acceptable.

Millennials, on the other hand, are comparatively more accepting, with nearly half (48%) considering Duterte’s business interests acceptable and 2 in 5 (40%) finding them unacceptable.

Survey method

Conducted from Oct. 16 to 19, the National Momentum Survey was carried out through face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,401 Filipino adults.

It has a national margin of error of ±2.6 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Subnational margins of error are ±7.0 percentage points for the National Capital Region, ±3.8 for the rest of Luzon (North, South, and Central Luzon), ±6.1 for the Visayas, and ±5.8 for Mindanao, all at a 95% confidence level.

Momentum Research noted that subgroup estimates carry larger margins of error and that figures may not add up to 100% because of rounding.

The National Momentum Survey is the firm’s flagship non-commissioned survey of Filipino public opinion on sociopolitical issues.

Its October 2026 issue, the third wave of the survey, also covers government performance, the impeachment trial, the International Criminal Court (ICC) trial, 2028 voting intentions, and national issues such as overseas Filipino worker (OFW) rights, anti-political dynasty measures, and trust and distrust in media platforms.

Momentum Research describes itself as a nonpartisan public opinion research firm.

Complete survey results are on the firm’s public dashboard at momentumresearch.ph.