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MCT READER PULSE · MCT-PULSE-2026-004
MCT READER SURVEY
Do you agree with Atty. Lorna Kapunan’s view that Vice President Sara Duterte’s public remarks about threats and hiring an assassin contribute to the problem of violence among Filipino youth?Sang-ayon ka ba sa pananaw ni Atty. Lorna Kapunan na nakadaragdag sa problema ng karahasan sa kabataang Pilipino ang mga pampublikong pahayag ni Vice President Sara Duterte tungkol sa pagbabanta at pagkuha ng assassin?
During an August 19 online press briefing, Kapunan said she was not blaming the Vice President alone. She said Sara Duterte was “contributing to the problem and not to the solution,” while also pointing to political leadership, family values, news coverage, and social media.
Read the report and Kapunan’s quoted remarks before answering.
This survey measures reader opinion. It cannot establish that a public statement or action caused a violent incident. It reflects only the views of verified MCT readers who choose to participate and is not nationally representative.
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DAILY BRIEF
MCT DAILY BRIEF: August 22, 2026 · Morning
No fake news. No noise. Just the facts you need.
Good morning. Quezon City is seeing a sharp rise in leptospirosis after weeks of rain and flooding. New poverty figures show a large national improvement while leaving more than 11 million Filipinos below the official threshold. PLDT and Smart have started blocking websites that carry footage of school attacks and other extreme violence. Researchers in Apayao may have found three frog species new to science. Congress is also being asked to examine billions of pesos in confidential and intelligence funds proposed for the Office of the President.
1
QUEZON CITY RECORDED 62 LEPTOSPIROSIS CASES AND FIVE DEATHS IN TWO WEEKS
Quezon City recorded 62 leptospirosis cases with illness onset from August 5 to 18, according to the Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division. Five of those patients died. The two-week case count was 138 percent higher than the preceding two weeks and crossed the city's alert threshold.
The patients ranged from four to 74 years old. Forty-four were male. Barangay Commonwealth recorded the largest number with eight cases. Construction workers, students, tricycle drivers, security guards, a garbage collector, and a delivery rider were among those infected. These occupations can involve outdoor work, flooded roads, mud, or contaminated water.
From January 1 through August 20, the city recorded 213 cases and 24 deaths. Earlier city advisories identified floodwater exposure as a major risk and urged exposed residents to seek medical advice promptly. Leptospirosis is caused by bacteria that can enter through cuts, abrasions, or the eyes, nose, and mouth after contact with water or soil contaminated by the urine of infected animals.
Anyone who walked through floodwater should contact a health center or doctor even if no symptoms have appeared. Quezon City says its health centers provide free consultation and can assess whether post-exposure medicine is appropriate. Residents should not self-medicate because the choice and timing of treatment require medical assessment.
WHAT TO WATCH
Watch the city's next surveillance update for whether the two-week increase continues, which barangays cross alert or epidemic thresholds, and whether health centers report enough medicine and staff for exposed residents. A continuing rise would require more aggressive case finding and clearer public information in flood-prone communities.
2
FAMILY POVERTY FELL TO 6.4 PERCENT, WHILE 11.08 MILLION FILIPINOS REMAINED POOR
The Philippine Statistics Authority estimated that 6.4 percent of Filipino families were poor in 2025. That represents about 1.90 million families and is the first single-digit national family-poverty rate in the official series. The comparable rate was 10.9 percent, or about three million families, in 2023.
The individual count gives a fuller picture. PSA classified 9.7 percent of Filipinos, or approximately 11.08 million people, as poor in 2025. The official label means their income was below the amount PSA estimated was needed for basic food and essential non-food needs.
PSA said the annual poverty threshold rose by 5.5 percent from 2023 to 2025, while mean annual per-capita family income increased by 22 percent. Income grew faster than the threshold used to classify poverty, including among families near the bottom of the income distribution. The figures came from the 2025 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, conducted in July 2025 and January 2026.
This is a substantial measured improvement. It does not show that every family experienced a 22 percent income gain, that prices stopped hurting household budgets, or that families slightly above the threshold are financially secure. A household can move above the official line and remain vulnerable to illness, job loss, rent increases, or another surge in food prices.
WHAT TO WATCH
Watch for PSA's detailed regional and sectoral tables. They should show where poverty fell fastest, where it remained high, and whether farmers, fisherfolk, children, and other vulnerable groups shared in the national improvement. Those breakdowns will help test whether the gain was broad or concentrated.
3
PLDT AND SMART HAVE BLOCKED MORE THAN 100 VIOLENT-CONTENT WEBSITES
PLDT and its mobile subsidiary Smart say they have blocked more than 100 websites that stream or host footage of school attacks and other acts of extreme violence. The blocks operate at network level, making the identified sites inaccessible to PLDT and Smart subscribers.
The companies said they will add more sites as they are identified through monitoring and coordination with government agencies, child-protection groups, and parenting communities. PLDT chief operating officer Butch Jimenez said the networks would not carry content that glorifies violence and puts children and communities at risk.
This specific action covers PLDT and Smart. Globe has established systems for blocking child sexual abuse material, illegal gambling sites, scams, and other unlawful content, but no current announcement was found showing that it has joined this new violent-content blocking initiative. The same applies to other internet providers unless they issue their own policies or receive a government directive.
Blocking footage that celebrates or encourages real violence can reduce children's exposure to disturbing material. Network-level restrictions also need clear standards. A provider should be able to explain what qualifies a site for blocking, how it distinguishes documentation or legitimate reporting from glorification, and how an incorrectly blocked site can seek review. The companies do not need to publicize links that would direct people to harmful material, but the rules and safeguards should be public.
WHAT TO WATCH
Watch whether Globe, DITO, Converge, and other providers adopt similar restrictions, and whether the National Telecommunications Commission or Department of Information and Communications Technology issues common standards. Also watch for a published review process that can correct an overbroad or mistaken block without reopening access to genuinely harmful material.
4
THREE FROGS FOUND IN APAYAO MAY BE SPECIES NEW TO SCIENCE
Researchers conducting a biodiversity survey in Apayao collected three forest frogs from the genus Platymantis that may represent species not previously described by science. The specimens still require detailed taxonomic examination, including comparison with known species. They should be called possible new species until that work is finished and published.
The August 13 to 19 survey involved researchers from the University of Santo Tomas Herpetological Research Collection and Kyoto University, working with the Philippine Eagle Foundation and the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Calanasan. The team documented at least 15 amphibian and reptile species during the fieldwork.
Apayao contains extensive lowland and mountain forests and is recognized as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Finding a previously undocumented species can strengthen the scientific case for protecting its habitat. The finding can also expose how little is known about forest ecosystems that may be damaged before their wildlife is fully recorded.
There is no confirmed new species yet. Confirmation requires researchers to establish that the frogs differ consistently from every known relative, then publish a formal description that other specialists can examine.
WHAT TO WATCH
Watch for the taxonomic paper, genetic or anatomical comparisons, formal species names, and a conservation assessment. If the specimens are confirmed as new species with a narrow habitat range, forest disturbance in that specific area could become an immediate conservation concern.
5
THE PRESIDENT'S 2027 BUDGET PROPOSAL RETAINS ₱4.56 BILLION IN SECRET FUNDS
The proposed 2027 budget for the Office of the President includes ₱2.25 billion in confidential expenses and ₱2.31 billion in intelligence expenses. The combined ₱4.56 billion is unchanged from the current allocation and represents about 45 percent of the office's proposed ₱10.08 billion in new appropriations.
Confidential and intelligence funds are intended for sensitive operations whose details cannot be disclosed like ordinary purchases and programs. They remain subject to special planning, liquidation, reporting, and Commission on Audit rules. The secrecy that may protect legitimate operations also limits the information ordinary taxpayers can use to judge specific spending.
ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio is calling for the funds to be abolished or redirected to education, agriculture, and social services. He argues that the President's allocation should face the same level of scrutiny applied to other offices. That is Tinio's policy position. The verified budget fact is that the allocation appears in the National Expenditure Program, which is still a proposal and can be amended by Congress.
For taxpayers, the central question is how Congress tests necessity and accountability without demanding the public release of operational details that could genuinely endanger national security. A large secret allocation should not receive lighter examination simply because its individual transactions cannot be debated in public.
WHAT TO WATCH
Watch the Office of the President's budget hearing for a clear explanation of why the same ₱4.56 billion is needed in 2027, what oversight records are submitted, and whether lawmakers propose reductions or stronger reporting safeguards. The final amount will be determined through the General Appropriations Act, not by the National Expenditure Program alone.
BOTTOM LINE
Today's stories all turn on what institutions do after presenting a number, rule, or announcement. Quezon City has to convert disease surveillance into quick treatment and prevention. Government has to show where the poverty gains reached real households. Internet providers have to protect young users while applying transparent standards. Scientists have to test whether the Apayao frogs are genuinely new. Congress has to examine secret spending closely enough to protect both national security and public money. The next reports, policies, studies, and hearings will show whether those systems are working.
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