VP Sara should explain P600-M mess over secret funds, survey shows
Majority of Filipinos want Vice President Sara Duterte to explain the P600-million mess over the confidential and intelligence funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, for which she was impeached last February.
According to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey commissioned by Stratbase Group, 88 percent of respondents said she must address the impeachment charges filed against her and “answer all allegations pertaining to corruption, and clear her name.”
Duterte became the first vice president to be impeached by the House of Representatives on Feb. 5 after three committees jointly found anomalies in the disbursement of funds from 2022 to 2024 for the two priority agencies.
The Senate deferred the mandated impeachment trial apparently, because of the May 12 elections.
The survey, conducted from May 2 to May 6, showed that 93 percent of Filipinos believe the Vice President must “collaboratively work to prioritize the nation’s needs” while 86 percent believe that Duterte should focus on her own policies and platform.
While 74 percent of respondents said they want her to “step back from criticizing the government and its initiatives,” 81 percent said they want her to continue as Vice President, but she should stop politicking.
The questions about Duterte were part of a survey on Filipinos’ expectations from national leaders, especially following the midterm elections earlier this month.
The results found that 84 percent of Filipinos look forward to better access to healthcare services, while 81 percent call for better food security and agricultural development.
Other concerns include the development of infrastructure (80 percent), climate resilience and protection of natural resources (70 percent), national security and defense in the West Philippine Sea (67 percent), and the management of inflation (62 percent).
The SWS survey also showed that respondents expected both chambers of Congress to prioritize social programs that directly address the daily needs of Filipinos, with improvement of accessibility of education taking the top spot for the Senate (98 percent) and support for agricultural development taking the top spot for the House (97 percent).
According to Stratbase Group president Dindo Manhit, the results indicate that Filipinos are more vigilant of the government’s fulfillment of their commitments, demanding honest and effective leadership amid progress in sectors, such as health care and infrastructure.
The survey had 1,800 respondents with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points nationwide.
