FIVE THINGS TO KNOW…

Short explainers published throughout the day.

7:21 AM6-minute read

ABOUT THE NOTE HANDED TO GIBO TEODORO IN SEOUL

Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. was answering questions at the Seoul Defense Dialogue on September 8 when a man handed him a note. He read it aloud, challenged its rejection of the 2016 South China Sea ruling and objected to being interrupted that way.

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9:55 AM8-minute read

ABOUT EL NIÑO AND PREPARING FOR LESS RAIN

It can be raining outside while PAGASA warns about El Niño. That can sound confusing when the immediate problem is a wet road or a flooded field. The two warnings describe different periods: the weather happening now and the rainfall conditions that may develop over the coming months.

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5:30 AM8-minute read

ABOUT THE NEW ARREST WARRANTS AGAINST ZALDY CO, MARTIN ROMUALDEZ AND TWO OTHERS

The Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of Zaldy Co, Martin Romualdez and two other accused in the plunder case filed on September 7. By Monday evening, authorities had served Romualdez's warrant and carried out booking procedures at Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan. His arrest is a confirmed development; it does not establish that his three co-accused are also in custody.

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3:15 PM8-minute read

ABOUT THE PLUNDER CASE AGAINST MARTIN ROMUALDEZ

The Office of the Ombudsman filed a plunder case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez at the Sandiganbayan on September 7 over his alleged involvement in flood-control kickbacks. The accusations have now reached the court that will handle the criminal case. Romualdez denies wrongdoing and remains presumed innocent.

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1:18 PM7-minute read

ABOUT THE NEW SWS POVERTY NUMBERS

Self-rated poverty and food poverty declined in June, but the figures also show how many Filipino families remain under pressure and why lower household budgets do not necessarily mean life became cheaper.

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2:02 PM11-minute read

ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY ACT

House Bill No. 9965 would bar children below 13 from having social media accounts, require parental consent for users aged 13 to 17, regulate platform algorithms, and impose fines reaching P50 million. It is still being deliberated in the House.

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12:02 PM7-minute read

ABOUT THE SEALED BIR BOX

Marcos authorized the BIR to comply with the Senate subpoena. That did not open the records to the public or prove the unexplained-wealth allegation.

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MCT READER PULSE · MCT-PULSE-2026-008

MCT READER SURVEY

Senator-judges who are absent from the impeachment trial—including those on medical leave, in hiding, or detained—should still be allowed to cast a vote. Do you agree?Ang mga senator-judge na wala sa impeachment trial—kabilang ang naka-medical leave, nagtatago, o nakadetine—ay dapat payagan pa ring bumoto. Sang-ayon ka ba?

Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo asked the impeachment court to clarify who may validly vote and how absent members affect the constitutional two-thirds requirement. He cited one senator on medical leave abroad, one in hiding, and two in detention. The court had not resolved those questions when this survey opened. This survey asks for your view; it does not state what the Constitution or the impeachment rules require.

Background: Senate impeachment records, INQUIRER.net, and MindaNews.

This is an informal survey of verified MCT readers who choose to participate. It is not nationally representative.

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MCT DAILY BRIEF

No fake news. No noise. Just the facts you need.

A rain-soaked Manila street with commuters, jeepneys, umbrellas, puddles, and the ordinary clutter of a wet morning.

Good morning. Rain remains the first practical concern today, especially for families dealing with class suspensions and another wet weekend. Elsewhere, the Visayas power grid is still running with little room for failure, Mayon remains restless, the government says free higher education now reaches 2.62 million students, and economic managers are promising to move delayed public projects without weakening safeguards.

1

HEAVY RAIN KEEPS FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES SUSPENDED IN QUEZON CITY

Quezon City suspended face-to-face classes today in public and private child development centers, kindergarten, Grades 1 to 12, and the Alternative Learning System. The city expects 50 to 100 millimeters of rain and has directed schools to use synchronous or asynchronous learning instead.

Colleges and universities may make their own decisions, although the city encouraged them to follow national or local safety advisories. Other local governments may issue separate orders, so students and workers should check the announcement for their own area rather than assume that Quezon City's suspension applies elsewhere.

PAGASA's extended outlook gives Metro Manila a 100 percent chance of rain today and through the weekend. That percentage means rain is expected somewhere in the forecast area. It does not mean every neighborhood will receive the same amount at the same time.

WHAT TO WATCH

Follow PAGASA rainfall warnings and your local government's official page. Families near waterways or low-lying roads should pay attention to water levels, not only to whether the rain looks heavy outside.

2

THE VISAYAS GRID IS AGAIN UNDER A RED ALERT

The Visayas grid was placed under red alert from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, with yellow-alert periods around it, because several major coal-fired power plants remained unavailable. A red alert means supply may not be enough to cover demand and the reserve needed to keep the grid stable.

The warning does not guarantee a blackout in every area. It means there is very little room to absorb another plant failure or a sudden increase in demand. Distribution utilities may resort to manual load dropping if the shortfall becomes unavoidable.

The Department of Energy expected two generating units to return this week, while other units are scheduled to resume in September. Until those units are actually back and operating reliably, the Visayas remains vulnerable during peak hours.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch for new NGCP alerts, restoration notices from the affected power plants, and interruption schedules from local electric cooperatives. Residents who rely on electrically powered medical equipment should prepare for possible service interruptions.

3

MAYON REMAINS AT ALERT LEVEL 2 AFTER A WEAK ASH EXPLOSION

PHIVOLCS kept Mayon Volcano at Alert Level 2, indicating decreased but continuing unrest. Its bulletin for today recorded one weak ash explosion lasting one minute, 15 volcanic earthquakes, a moderate plume rising 500 meters above the crater, and sulfur dioxide emissions of 5,878 tonnes per day based on Thursday's measurement.

Alert Level 2 is not an evacuation order for all communities around Mayon. It does mean the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone remains off-limits. Heavy and prolonged rain can also remobilize volcanic material and create lahars in river channels and gullies.

The combination of volcanic deposits and wet weather is the practical concern. People near lahar-prone channels should follow local instructions even when the volcano itself appears quiet.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch PHIVOLCS bulletins for changes in earthquakes, gas emissions, lava activity, or the alert level. In Albay, also follow local warnings about lahars during sustained rainfall.

4

FREE HIGHER EDUCATION NOW SERVES 2.62 MILLION STUDENTS, BUT THE DETAILS OF EXPANSION STILL MATTER

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government's Free Higher Education program now benefits 2.62 million students. The program is based on Republic Act No. 10931, which removes tuition and certain school fees in state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges, and state-run technical-vocational institutions.

The announcement described the program as expanding, but it did not provide a full breakdown of how many additional students were covered, which institutions gained places, or how quickly reimbursements and student subsidies are being released.

For students, legal entitlement and actual access are not always the same. Admission capacity, course availability, living expenses, transportation, and delayed allowances can still determine whether a student is able to finish a degree.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch the final 2027 budget for the amount approved for free higher education and student assistance. CHED and UniFAST should also publish clear data on beneficiaries, unpaid claims, and release schedules.

5

ECONOMIC MANAGERS PROMISE FASTER PROJECTS WITHOUT WEAKENING SAFEGUARDS

The government's economic team told the Senate that delayed procurement, awarding, and implementation are holding back already-funded infrastructure projects. Budget officials said allotments needed by the Department of Public Works and Highways have been made available and that infrastructure activity should begin recovering in the third quarter.

Officials also said they do not plan to relax budgeting, procurement, accounting, or auditing safeguards. That distinction is important. Faster work is useful only if projects are properly designed, competitively awarded, completed to standard, and open to inspection.

The promise now has to be measured against actual delivery. A faster calendar is not an accomplishment if it produces defective roads, unfinished flood-control structures, or payments for work the public cannot verify.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch the agencies' procurement timelines, project completion rates, variation orders, and audit findings. The government should identify the specific bottlenecks it removed and publish enough project data for the public to confirm that faster implementation did not mean weaker oversight.

BOTTOM LINE

Today's stories are about the difference between an announcement and a functioning system. A class suspension must reach families before they travel. A power alert must be followed by reliable generation. A volcano bulletin must translate into local preparedness. Free tuition must lead to students finishing school. Faster procurement must produce safe, useful projects. The public should judge all five by what happens after the announcement.

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