Photo credit: Inday Sara Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte’s lead in the 2028 presidential race is shrinking, with House leader Lorenz Defensor attributing the shift to rising public awareness of her impeachment case and her lack of response to the allegations.

Citing recent surveys by Pulse Asia and OCTA Research, Defensor said more Filipinos are now closely following the hearings and evidence presented.

“Yes, pwedeng bumaba ang rating ng vice president dahil walang sagot sa impeachment. Tandaan niyo, maraming Pilipino ang nanonood sa TV, sa YouTube, nakikinig sa radio ng live ng mga committee hearings. Sa telepono lang, hawak-hawak mo, pwede ka na manood,” he said.

Pulse Asia’s February–March survey showed Duterte leading Leni Robredo 51% to 43%, while OCTA’s March survey had her at 46% against Robredo’s 35%. Against Raffy Tulfo, she was tied at 46% each.

“At the more na may lumalabas na ebidensyang hindi [sinasagot] ng vice president… kahit papaano ang mga congressmen at ang mga Pilipino, mas nakakaintindi kung ano ‘yung ebidensya, kaya siguro bumaba ang kanyang rating,” Defensor added.

He said the trend reflects growing voter awareness on corruption and accountability issues, noting Duterte may face a tougher challenge in a one-on-one race than in a multi-candidate contest.

The House of Representatives of the Philippines is set to vote on the impeachment case on May 11, with lawmakers reviewing evidence approved by the Committee on Justice. At least 55 votes have been secured, and 51 more are needed to elevate the case to a Senate trial.

ADVO ONLY

Chair Quimbo: KALINGA bill builds whole-economy shield against fuel shocks

THE House of Representatives is building the proposed KALINGA bill as a whole-economy response to the energy crisis, with relief measures for today’s price pressures and safeguards for future global oil shocks.

House Committee on Ways and Means Chair and Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo said the measure filed by Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos will serve as the central legislative framework of the Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Energy Action and Development, or LEAD.

“We are here to synthesize the findings from the briefings we conducted and to begin consolidating them into a single legislative response under the Kalinga Bill already
filed by Speaker Bojie Dy and Majority Leader Marcos. The proposals before us today serve as a framework for discussion. They reflect the concerns raised in prior hearings, the recommendations submitted to this Ad Hoc
Committee, and the initial policy directions that may be pursued through a substitute bill,” Quimbo said.

“The challenge is to work on this bill thoroughly, grounding it in real-life experience, but to do so swiftly, delivering relief as soon as possible and initiate systemic changes,” Quimbo said.

The first formal LEAD meeting marked the shift from briefings and sectoral consultations to the actual work of shaping a consolidated bill that can guide government action when fuel shocks threaten prices, jobs, transport, food supply and household budgets.

KALINGA stands for Komprehensibong Alalay sa Livelihood, Inflation, Negosyo at Goods Assistance.

At the core of the bill is the recognition that the pain of an oil shock rarely stays in one place, because transport costs affect food movement, electricity costs affect households and businesses and higher prices eventually reach the ordinary family trying to make the same income last.

“To our agencies, we ask for your full cooperation. Tell us what can be implemented immediately. Tell us where the operational bottlenecks are. We ask that you ground your
assessment in real-world experience and be a partner in crafting this bill. Hindi natin kontrolado ang pandaigdigang presyo ng langis.

Hindi natin kontrolado ang digmaan sa ibang rehiyon. Ngunit kontrolado natin ang kalidad at bilis ng ating paghahanda at pagtugon. We must work together and we must act swiftly because each day that relief is delayed is another day when Filipinos must ask: hangang kailan pa ba aabot budget namin? Hanggang kailan kami magtitiis?” Quimbo asked.

“Sa huli, ang layunin ng Kalinga Program ay protektahan ang sambayanang Pilipino, patatagin ang ekonomiya, at tiyakin na sa susunod na pagyanig ng pandaigdigang
presyo ng langis, mas matatag na Tayo,” Quimbo said.

The ad hoc panel is using the hearings to organize government response around a clearer structure, instead of leaving each agency or sector to deal with the crisis in separate pieces.

“The House of Representatives, as instructed by Speaker Bojie Dy, has convened a series of briefings on the continuing energy crisis and its effects on our economy. We began with a basic but urgent question: how do we protect Filipino families from the immediate pain of rising fuel prices? But as the hearings progressed, it became clear that the issue before us is larger than fuel alone,” he said.

“This is a crisis that moves through the entire economy. It begins at the pump, but it does not end there. It moves through transport, food production, electricity, logistics, employment, and household budgets. Ultimately, it reaches every Filipino family that must stretch the same income across higher prices of food, transport, electricity, and basic needs,” Quimbo said.

The proposed framework covers eight response areas: household protection, food security, public transport, micro, small and medium enterprise support, overseas Filipino worker protection, energy supply, supply chain continuity and temporary fiscal and regulatory measures.

These pillars are meant to allow government to deliver targeted assistance, subsidies, vouchers and tax relief, while also preparing reforms that can reduce the country’s exposure to imported fuel and repeated global price swings.

“We have also seen that in this oil crisis that
while supply is important, affordability is the more immediate burden felt by ordinary Filipinos. Maaaring may sapat tayong supply ng petrolyo, pero kung hindi na kayang bumiyahe ang mga driver, mahihirapan ang mga commuter. Maaaring may sapat na pagkain, pero kung mahal ang pagdadala nito sa merkado, tataas pa rin ang presyo. At maaaring bukas pa ang mga negosyo, pero
kung patuloy na tumataas ang gastos nila, mapipilitan silang magtaas ng presyo, magbawas ng empleyado, o magsara. This is why the Kalinga Program is not designed as an ayuda measure alone. It is a bridge between immediate relief and long-term systemic change,” Quimbo said.

Quimbo warned that the cost of delay is paid first by households, workers, drivers, small businesses and communities that cannot simply absorb another round of rising prices.

For the House, the goal is to craft a law that can help government move earlier, coordinate better and prevent the next fuel shock from turning again into a wider cost-of-living crisis.