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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Checking your reader session…

MCT DAILY BRIEF

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

Imelda Marcos during a 1966 state visit to the White House.

Good morning. Rescue teams are searching the waters off Coron after the passenger ferry MV June Aster caught fire Wednesday evening. Five people were confirmed dead in the Coast Guard's latest early-morning count. The Supreme Court has also acquitted Imelda Marcos in seven graft cases, overturning her 2018 conviction without changing a separate civil ruling on the Marcos Swiss deposits. Heavy rain has changed work and school arrangements in Metro Manila and 13 provinces. In Manila, some small businesses say higher garbage fees have forced them to borrow money or cut jobs. The country also has ten new National Artists.

1

1. FIVE DEAD AS SEARCH CONTINUES AFTER FERRY FIRE OFF CORON

The passenger ferry MV June Aster caught fire at about 6:45 Wednesday evening while traveling from Manila to Coron. The fire broke out roughly 2.2 kilometers northeast of Barangay Marcilla in Coron, Palawan. The ship's manifest listed 117 passengers and 17 crew members.

In the Philippine Coast Guard's latest early-morning count, five people had died and 42 had been rescued. Authorities had not yet accounted for the other 87 people on the manifest. Coast Guard spokesperson Captain Noemi Cayabyab said the numbers could change as rescuers find more survivors and check names against the list. The rescued group included 38 passengers and four crew members. Coron officials said three people were in critical condition, 33 remained in hospital and six had been discharged.

Being unaccounted for is not the same as being confirmed missing. Passenger lists can contain errors, and some survivors may reach shore on fishing boats or through other rescuers before officials record them. The Coast Guard still needs to match every name on the manifest with a rescued passenger, a crew member, a confirmed death or a person who remains missing.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch for the Coast Guard's next confirmed list and any change in the number of people rescued or still missing. Investigators must also find where and how the fire started, whether the ship's safety equipment worked, whether passengers received clear evacuation instructions and whether fuel from the vessel has spilled into the sea.

2

2. SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS IMELDA MARCOS' SEVEN-COUNT GRAFT CONVICTION

The Supreme Court has acquitted former First Lady Imelda Marcos of seven counts of graft. The ruling overturns the Sandiganbayan decision that convicted her in 2018 and sentenced her to six years and one month to 11 years in prison for each count. That conviction also permanently disqualified her from holding public office.

Prosecutors accused Marcos of having financial interests in private foundations in Switzerland while she held government posts. In a 50-page decision dated June 10 and released on September 9, the Supreme Court's First Division said the prosecution did not prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The Court said prosecutors did not properly prove that key Swiss documents were genuine. The witnesses who presented the records could not confirm that their contents were true. Prosecutors also failed to show that the Swiss foundations were businesses covered by the specific anti-graft provision used in the charges.

Marcos is acquitted in these seven criminal cases, and the 2018 prison sentences no longer stand. A separate Supreme Court ruling that transferred Marcos Swiss deposits to the government remains in place. That civil case decided what would happen to the deposits. The seven cases decided now asked whether Marcos was criminally guilty and required proof beyond reasonable doubt.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch whether prosecutors ask the Supreme Court to reconsider the acquittal. The ruling may also affect how prosecutors prepare other criminal cases that depend on bank records or documents obtained abroad. They must be able to prove where those records came from and that the information in them can be trusted.

3

3. WORK AND CLASSES CHANGE TODAY IN NCR AND 13 PROVINCES

Government offices in Metro Manila and 13 provinces have been ordered to use alternative work arrangements today because of continuing rain from the enhanced southwest monsoon. Public and private schools in the same areas must also shift from their usual class setup, unless their local government gives a different instruction.

The covered provinces are La Union, Pangasinan, Benguet, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro. Government offices providing health care, disaster response and other vital services must remain open. Contract-of-service and job-order workers covered by the alternative arrangements will still be paid, following the rules that apply to them.

This is not a nationwide suspension, and it does not automatically stop work in private companies. Private employers decide whether to suspend operations, allow employees to work from home or use another arrangement. Students and workers should check the announcement from their own school, office, local government or employer before changing their plans.

Online work and classes can also become impossible when flooding cuts electricity, mobile signal or internet service. Schools and offices need another option for people who cannot connect safely or reliably.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch PAGASA's rainfall warnings, local flood reports and announcements from schools and employers during the day. Local governments may suspend more activities if conditions worsen. Road closures, transport disruptions and rising water can also make an office or vital public service difficult to reach.

4

4. HIGHER MANILA GARBAGE FEES ARE HURTING SOME SMALL BUSINESSES

Some small business owners in Manila say the city's higher garbage fees have forced them to borrow money, reduce workers' hours or dismiss employees. Manila began collecting the new rates under Ordinance No. 9151 in January.

The ordinance charges restaurants and other public eating places measuring 100 to less than 200 square meters P16,800 every quarter, or P67,200 a year. One cafe owner told Philstar that his total business-permit bill reached almost P107,000. About P60,000 came from garbage fees and interest for late payment. He took out a loan after the city closed the cafe over unpaid permit charges.

A food-stall owner in Sampaloc said her renewal costs rose from about P14,000 last year to P64,000 this year. She said she had dismissed nine of her 15 workers. Those two cases do not show what happened to every Manila business. They show how a large fee can cost jobs and threaten a small business.

City officials defended higher rates in January. They said garbage fees had not been updated since 2013 and no longer covered rising waste collection and disposal costs. The city had not given Philstar a new response about the reported effects on businesses by publication time.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch whether Manila publishes the cost behind each fee, reviews the largest increases or offers lower rates for small establishments. The result should be visible in cleaner streets and reliable garbage collection. It should also show whether neighborhood businesses can pay the fees without cutting more jobs or closing.

5

5. THE PHILIPPINES HAS TEN NEW NATIONAL ARTISTS

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named ten new National Artists through Proclamation No. 1414. They are the first group to receive the country's highest official honor for Filipino artists since 2022.

The honorees are Nicanor Tiongson and Gregorio Brillantes for literature; Imelda Cajipe Endaya and Nunelucio Alvarado for visual arts; Gabriel Formoso for architecture; Rafael “Nonoy” Froilan for dance; Maria Beatriz “Patis” Tesoro for design; Armando “Bing” Lao for film and broadcast arts; Teodoro Hilado for theater; and Alfredo S. Buenaventura for music. The awards for Brillantes, Formoso, Lao and Hilado are being given after their deaths.

The title places their work among the achievements the country has chosen to honor, preserve and teach. Living National Artists also receive a cash award, a monthly pension, and medical and hospitalization support.

The announcement gives the public ten names. Their books, paintings, buildings, performances, films, designs and music must also become easier to find. The honor will last longer if schools, libraries, museums, theaters and cultural agencies help another generation experience the work.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch for the official ceremony and the complete explanation of why each person was chosen. Cultural agencies should also explain how they will preserve the honorees' work and make it available outside a single awards ceremony.

BOTTOM LINE

This morning begins with families waiting for news from the ferry search off Coron. The Supreme Court ruling changes Imelda Marcos' criminal record, while leaving the separate civil ruling on the Swiss deposits untouched. Rain orders, garbage fees and support for the arts are very different government decisions, but all of them reach people's lives. They affect whether people can travel safely, report for work, keep a business open, protect jobs and pass important Filipino work to the next generation.

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