Manila: Nearly two in three Filipino adults believe Vice President Sara Duterte should return PHP73 million in confidential funds disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA), according to a survey released on Thursday. The August 2026 National Momentum Survey by Momentum Research found that 64 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that Duterte should return the funds to the national government.
According to Philippines News Agency, about 24 percent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the notion, while 8.9 percent were unsure and 3.1 percent declined to answer. The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,487 Filipino adults nationwide from August 18 to 23. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
Momentum Research indicated that the survey question referred to the Commission Proper's final decision, which upheld a notice of disallowance involving the Office of the Vice President. The decision found that the OVP failed to provide sufficient documentation showing how the flagged funds were spent and whether they were used for confidential activities as required under Joint Circular 2015-01.
Support for returning the funds was highest in the Visayas region at 73.5 percent, followed by the rest of Luzon at 68.7 percent and Metro Manila at 64.3 percent. In Mindanao, Duterte's political stronghold, 46.7 percent agreed that she should return the funds, while 36.6 percent disagreed. The remaining 16.7 percent were unsure or declined to answer.
The survey also revealed political and generational differences in opinion. Among respondents classified as pro-Duterte, 50.5 percent supported returning the funds, compared with 39.3 percent who opposed it. The strongest support came from pro-opposition respondents at 82.3 percent, followed by pro-Marcos respondents at 73 percent and independents at 68.4 percent.
Younger respondents showed stronger support for returning the funds. Among Generation Z respondents, 78 percent agreed or strongly agreed that Duterte should return the funds. Support stood at 60.3 percent among millennials and 56.1 percent among Generation X respondents. Among baby boomers and members of the Silent Generation, 52.7 percent supported returning the funds. Momentum Research noted that this did not represent a clear majority when the margin of error was considered.
Subnational margins of error were plus or minus 6.9 percentage points for the National Capital Region, 3.8 points for the rest of Luzon, 5.8 points for the Visayas, and 5.5 points for Mindanao, all at a 95 percent confidence level.
