FIVE THINGS TO KNOW…

Short explainers published throughout the day.

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-2026-006

MCT READER SURVEY

After Gilas Pilipinas’ wins over Jordan and Iran, how confident are you that the team will qualify for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup?Matapos ang mga panalo ng Gilas Pilipinas laban sa Jordan at Iran, gaano ka kumpiyansa na makakapasok ang koponan sa 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup?

Gilas improved to 4–4 after beating Jordan and Iran, but the Philippines remains fifth in Group E with four games left. This survey asks about readers’ confidence; qualification has not yet been secured.

Read where Gilas stands before answering.

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

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Checking your reader session…

MCT DAILY BRIEF

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

Good morning. The first concern today is the air: haze has reached parts of Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa, with government monitors reporting unhealthy conditions in several cities. Pilandok remains far from land, but it continues to strengthen the southwest monsoon. At the pump, motorists get a rollback after two weeks of increases. People booking flights face a higher fuel surcharge through September 15. Meanwhile, the country's July foreign portfolio-investment figure shows how quickly short-term capital can move.

1

HAZE PUSHES AIR QUALITY INTO UNHEALTHY LEVELS

The Environmental Management Bureau said haze, possibly connected to fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia, had reached parts of Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Mimaropa. Ten Metro Manila monitoring locations were classified as having very unhealthy air, while Parañaque reached the agency's more serious “acutely unhealthy” category.

The source attribution was still qualified as of the latest advisory. What was not uncertain was the poor air recorded by the monitoring stations. At these levels, outdoor exertion should be limited. Children, older adults, pregnant women, and anyone with asthma or heart or lung disease need to be especially careful.

If going outside cannot be avoided, a well-fitting N95 or equivalent particle-filtering respirator provides better protection from fine smoke particles than a loose surgical or cloth mask. Indoors, close doors and windows when practical and set air-conditioning systems to recirculate rather than draw smoky air from outside.

WHAT TO WATCH

Check the nearest EMB air-quality monitor rather than relying only on how the sky looks. Watch for updated local advisories, class or activity suspensions, and symptoms such as wheezing, chest pain, shortness of breath, or worsening asthma.

2

PILANDOK REMAINS FAR FROM LAND, BUT HABAGAT IS STILL THE PRACTICAL THREAT

At 5 a.m., PAGASA placed the center of Tropical Depression Pilandok about 1,050 kilometers east of Extreme Northern Luzon. It had maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 70 kilometers per hour. No tropical cyclone wind signal was in effect, and Pilandok remained unlikely to make landfall.

Distance does not make the system irrelevant. Pilandok continues to enhance the southwest monsoon, bringing rain and strong gusts to large parts of Luzon and the Visayas and to portions of Mindanao. Coastal waters may also become rough to very rough in affected areas.

The practical mistake would be to watch only the storm's track. Local flooding, landslides, strong winds, and dangerous sea conditions can occur far from the cyclone's center when the monsoon is enhanced.

WHAT TO WATCH

Follow PAGASA's rainfall, thunderstorm, gale, and regional advisories for your location. Coastal communities, small fishing vessels, and residents in flood- or landslide-prone areas should follow local instructions even without a wind signal.

3

FUEL PRICES GO DOWN AFTER TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS OF INCREASES

Oil companies are cutting pump prices effective 6 a.m. today. The exact rollback differs slightly by company, but announced reductions are about 30 to 40 centavos per liter for gasoline and about ₱3.80 to ₱3.90 per liter for diesel. Kerosene is also going down by roughly ₱3.80 to ₱3.84 per liter.

The diesel reduction is the more noticeable change for public transport operators, delivery services, farms, and businesses that rely on diesel equipment. It may ease operating costs, but one rollback does not reverse the year's accumulated increases. As of August 31, year-to-date net increases remained about ₱54.92 per liter for gasoline, ₱59.06 for diesel, and ₱51.65 for kerosene.

Pump adjustments also vary by brand and location, and the effect on fares or food prices is not automatic. Those depend on a wider set of costs and, for regulated fares, formal government action.

WHAT TO WATCH

Check the posted price at your usual station before filling up. Watch the next oil-price adjustment and any transport-sector petitions, rather than assuming today's rollback will immediately reduce fares or retail prices.

4

AIRLINE FUEL SURCHARGES RISE FOR BOOKINGS MADE THROUGH SEPTEMBER 15

The Civil Aeronautics Board raised the allowable passenger and cargo fuel surcharge from Level 12 to Level 13 for September 1 to 15. Airlines that choose to collect it must apply, and they may not charge more than the Level 13 ceiling.

For domestic passengers, the allowable surcharge ranges from ₱423 to ₱1,237 for a one-way flight, depending on distance. For international flights originating in the Philippines, it ranges from ₱1,396.74 to ₱10,385.42.

The applicable surcharge is generally determined by when the ticket is issued. The travel date may be months later. A seat advertised at a low base fare can still produce a much higher checkout total once the fuel surcharge, taxes, and other charges are added.

WHAT TO WATCH

Compare the final payable amount with other offers. Before paying, check the fare breakdown and confirm whether the airline has applied the authorized surcharge for this booking period.

5

JULY “HOT MONEY” INFLOW FELL SHARPLY, BUT THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

Foreign portfolio investments registered through authorized banks produced a net inflow of $66.47 million in July. That was about 91 percent lower than the $742.56-million net inflow recorded in July 2025 and below June 2026's $170.12 million.

These funds are often called “hot money” because they can move quickly into and out of stocks and debt securities. They are different from foreign direct investment, which usually involves a longer-term stake in a business or productive asset.

One monthly figure cannot provide a complete verdict on the economy. The seven-month direction deserves attention: from January through July, registered foreign portfolio investments showed a net outflow of about $3.94 billion, compared with a net inflow in the same period last year. Fast-moving capital can affect market sentiment and add pressure to the peso. Exchange rates also respond to many other domestic and global forces.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch whether the year-to-date outflow narrows, whether the peso stabilizes, and what the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas says about inflation, interest rates, and foreign-currency reserves. One month's percentage change is less useful than the direction over several months.

BOTTOM LINE

Each headline today comes with a practical check. Poor air calls for less exposure. A distant cyclone still requires local weather monitoring. Lower pump prices do not erase months of increases. A higher airline surcharge makes the checkout total more useful than the seat-sale headline. The sharp fall in July “hot money” calls for watching the longer trend before anyone declares the economy safe or broken.

SOURCES

  1. Environmental Management Bureau PM2.5 guidancehttps://air.emb.gov.ph/denr-administrative-order-on-establishing-breakpoints-for-pm-2-5-air-quality-index-reviewed-and-approved-by-emb/
  2. GMA News Onlinehttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1000608/haze-possibly-from-indonesia-fires-reached-ncr-calabarzon-mimaropa/story/
  3. PAGASAhttps://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/tropical-cyclone/severe-weather-bulletin/1
  4. Philippine News Agencyhttps://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1283007
  5. GMA News Onlinehttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/1000521/pump-price-rollback-set-tuesday-september-1-2026/story/
  6. Civil Aeronautics Boardhttps://www.cab.gov.ph/index.php?c1=324&c2=405&c3=340&pg=downloads_list
  7. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinashttps://www.bsp.gov.ph/statistics/external/fxflows.aspx

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