Most Filipinos believe Vice President Sara Duterte should collaborate with other leaders to prioritize the nation’s needs and respond directly to the impeachment charges filed against her, according to the latest Stratbase-SWS national survey.

The 2-6 May survey, conducted face-to-face with 1,800 registered voters nationwide, found that 74 percent of respondents said Duterte should definitely work collaboratively to address national priorities. An additional 19 percent said she probably should, while only 4 percent expressed opposition.

When asked how she should respond to her impeachment case, 68 percent said she should definitely address the allegations of corruption and clear her name, while 20 percent said she probably should. Only 7 percent said she probably or definitely should not.

Impeachment trial postponed

The survey comes amid Senate preparations for her impeachment trial. The presentation of the case — originally set for 2 June — has been postponed to 11 June to allow the Senate to act on urgent legislative matters before the 19th Congress adjourns.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said the Senate and House of Representatives must prioritize key measures, including amendments to the Universal Health Care Act and the passage of the Anti-POGO Act, before convening as an impeachment court.

Duterte was impeached by the House on 5 February, with 215 lawmakers voting in favor. Her trial in the Senate is expected to begin shortly after the plenary presentation, where at least 16 of 24 senators must vote to convict for her to be removed from office.

The survey also showed that 61 percent of respondents want Duterte to focus on implementing her own platform and policies, while 59 percent said she should stop politicizing her vice presidential role. Half of respondents (50 percent) said she should stop criticizing the government and its initiatives.

At the time of the survey, Duterte was in The Hague with her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, and Senator Imee Marcos to visit her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is detained at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

Differing opinions

Meanwhile, senators on Friday provided differing opinions on the postponement of the presentation of Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President.

For Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, the Senate must prioritize the impeachment proceedings, saying the legislative agenda of Congress should give way to the impeachment process.

“There is a section or provision in our impeachment rules that states that if both legislative and impeachment matters are present, the legislative agenda must give way to the impeachment proceedings,” Pimentel told reporters in a phone interview.

Citing the rules on a Senate impeachment trial, he stressed that the impeachment trial takes precedence over legislative matters.

Senator Imee Marcos, a known ally of the Dutertes, said she supports the decision to temporarily postpone the Articles of Impeachment hearing against Duterte.

“These priority measures should really be given precedence because they are what will help the country, not the impeachment which is merely political grandstanding,” Marcos said in a statement.

Primary mandate

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada also expressed his support for the decision, saying the primary mandate of the Senate is to “craft, deliberate, and pass laws that promote the general welfare of our people.”

“The passage of the priority bills should take precedence, as asserted by Senate President Escudero, as the sine die adjournment marks the official end of our regular session,” Estrada said in a separate interview.

He continued: “This is also in accordance with what was agreed upon during the LEDAC [Legislative Executive Development Advisory] meeting, which is composed of the Executive, the Legislative, including the House of Representatives and the Senate.”

Senator Win Gatchalian likewise said he agreed with the Senate leadership decision to move the schedule of Duterte’s impeachment trial.

According to Gatchalian, both chambers of Congress are committed to approve the 12 pending bills before the sine die adjournment on 11 June.

“Having said that, I do agree to devote the next two weeks to finish the remaining bills and other legislative priorities before converting itself into an impeachment court,” he said.

He added that even if the Senate convenes as an impeachment court on 2 June, it would be impossible to conclude the proceedings by 30 June 30, given that there are seven articles of impeachment to address.

“The impeachment proceedings will definitely carry over from the 19th Congress to the 20th Congress,” he said.