Abstract
This study explored the sentiments of Filipino netizens toward the POGO hearings involving former Mayor Alice Guo, who faced allegations of corruption, identity fraud, and foreign influence. Using a qualitative sentiment analysis integrated with corpus linguistics, 3,000 social media comments from Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube were analyzed through computational tools to identify lexical patterns and sentiment polarity. The findings show that public discourse was predominantly negative (70%), characterized by condemnation, distrust, and frustration, while neutral (18%) and positive (12%) sentiments reflected analytical positions, empathy, and limited support. Thematic analysis revealed five dominant concerns—judicial inaction, systemic corruption, identity fraud, erosion of public confidence, and heightened public scrutiny—underscoring widespread dissatisfaction with governance and institutional accountability. Overall, the study contributes to understanding digital political discourse in the Philippine context by demonstrating how emotional and moral evaluations shape public opinion and civic engagement.
