Vice President Sara Duterte is the most preferred presidential candidate for the 2028 elections, according to local public opinion research firm WR Numero Research. Among the 1,894 registered voters surveyed, 30.2 percent said they would vote for Duterte in the next presidential elections.
Conducted from March 31 to April 7, the survey sees Senator Raffy Tulfo following Duterte at 17.9 percent of votes. Meanwhile, 17.5 percent of respondents say they are unsure of their preference. Former Vice President Leni Robredo follows at 12.7 percent.
The results are part of WR Numero’s latest “Philippine Public Opinion Monitor,” released on Tuesday, May 6. In the same report, the research firm said that 9 out of 10 respondents believe Duterte should stand trial before the Senate in her impeachment case instead of resigning. The remaining 9.7 percent, on the other hand, say that she should resign before the impeachment trial begins.
WR Numero also said that Filipino voters are split on the Senate’s decision to postpone Duterte’s impeachment trial to July 2025, after the next presidential State of the Nation Address. While 33.9 percent say they do not agree with the postponement, 38.8 percent say they agree. 27.3 percent of respondents are undecided.
In January 2025, Duterte told supporters in Japan that she was “seriously considering” running for president in the 2028 elections. The following month, the House of Representatives impeached her on a complaint signed by 215 out of 316 members. The complaint cites violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft, corruption, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes as grounds for Duterte’s impeachment.
Lawmakers argued among each other over when to start the impeachment trial. Senate President Francis Escudero said that the upper chamber could only act on the complaint against the vice president on June 2, when Congress convenes after the midterm elections. However, Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel and Bayan Muna Chairperson Neri Colmenares asserted that it is still possible for the Senate to hold the impeachment trial during the adjournment period, as the senator-judges would be forming an impeachment court with judicial responsibilities, not a legislative body.
