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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

10:45 PM7-minute read

ABOUT THE OCTOBER WATER-RATE INCREASES

Metro Manila households served by Maynilad and Manila Water will see slightly higher water charges beginning October 1. The announced increases are small for many residential customers, but the figures vary by concessionaire and consumption level. That makes it easy to misunderstand a notice expressed only in centavos per cubic meter.

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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-2026-010

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MCT DAILY BRIEF

Illustrative Philippine jeepney and LPG market scene for the September 26 Daily Brief.

Mary Jane Veloso is free and has reunited with her family. Commuters face higher jeepney fares starting Monday, while a new executive order suspends excise-tax collection on LPG and kerosene. Sara Duterte has denied a former security officer's cash-delivery allegations. Queenie is strengthening, and Carlos Yulo has won his second Asian Games gold.

1

MARY JANE VELOSO IS FREE, NOT JUST BACK IN THE PHILIPPINES

Mary Jane Veloso left the Correctional Institution for Women on September 25 after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted her an absolute pardon. The Bureau of Corrections received the release order from the Department of Justice at 5 p.m. and processed it immediately.

Marcos signed the pardon on September 24 and confirmed it the following day. The document shared by her lawyer restores her full civil and political rights. Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in April 2010 and sentenced to death after heroin was found in her luggage. She has consistently maintained that she did not know the suitcase given to her contained drugs.

Her execution was halted in 2015. Indonesia transferred her to Philippine custody in December 2024, but that transfer did not release her from prison. She remained at the CIW until the pardon and release procedures were completed.

Her parents and children arrived at the CIW shortly after midnight on September 26. They embraced before leaving with lawyers and others who had supported her.

Why it matters: The development is her actual freedom. Returning to the Philippines in 2024 and leaving prison in 2026 are separate events. Headlines should not make the earlier transfer sound like an earlier release.

WHAT TO WATCH

Follow the next official updates and supporting records.

2

HIGHER JEEPNEY FARES AND LPG TAX RELIEF AFFECT HOUSEHOLD COSTS

From September 28, the minimum fare for traditional jeepneys will rise from ₱13 to ₱14 for the first four kilometers. Each succeeding kilometer will cost ₱2, up from ₱1.80.

For modern jeepneys, the minimum will increase from ₱15 to ₱17. The succeeding-kilometer rate will rise from ₱2.20 to ₱2.40. The adjustment was approved as drivers and operators face higher fuel prices and operating expenses.

For a commuter taking two minimum-fare traditional-jeepney rides each working day, the increase adds ₱2 a day, or ₱44 over 22 working days. The equivalent additional cost for two modern-jeepney rides is ₱88. These are illustrative calculations for regular minimum fares, not estimates for every passenger. Longer journeys, multiple transfers and applicable discounts change the total.

LPG AND KEROSENE EXCISE-TAX COLLECTION

Marcos issued Executive Order No. 125 suspending the collection of excise taxes on LPG and kerosene. The order excludes LPG used as a raw material for petrochemical production or for motive power, and kerosene used as aviation fuel.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee, working with the Department of Energy, must review implementation and report to Congress within 15 days of the order's issuance and monthly thereafter. Those reports may support recommendations to continue, modify, extend or end the suspension.

Why it matters: A tax suspension and a household's actual retail savings are not the same number. The announcement does not justify promising an exact immediate reduction for every LPG cylinder. It also does not mean all taxes on all petroleum products have been removed.

WHAT TO WATCH

Check the official fare matrix for the route and vehicle you use. A minimum-fare announcement does not give the correct fare for every distance. The increases are scheduled for Monday, not automatically collectible on the date of the announcement.

Implementation notices and suppliers' price announcements. Readers need to know what changes at the point of purchase, not just what changed in the order.

3

SARA DUTERTE DENIES GRACIOSO'S CASH-DELIVERY ALLEGATIONS

Vice President Sara Duterte said on September 26 that she does not know Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. and has never received money from him. Gracioso is a former policeman who served as a security officer for former Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

The NBI is investigating Gracioso's claim that he delivered suitcases containing cash to Sara Duterte, former President Rodrigo Duterte and Representative Paolo Duterte on Velasco's instructions. The vice president said her lawyers were awaiting an official copy of the affidavit to prepare cases against Gracioso. She described his allegation as a political attack.

WHAT TO WATCH

Independent records and other evidence that can support or contradict the account. A witness statement requires examination; a denial requires examination too. The investigation is not a court judgment, and reporting should not describe the alleged deliveries as established fact.

4

QUEENIE STRENGTHENS; DOH PLACES RESPONSE TEAMS ON STANDBY

In PAGASA's 11 a.m. advisory on September 26, Queenie remained a severe tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour and gusts of 135 km/h. Its center was 575 kilometers east northeast of Itbayat, Batanes. No tropical cyclone wind signal was in effect in that bulletin.

PAGASA forecast possible intensification into a typhoon within the day and an exit from the Philippine Area of Responsibility between Sunday afternoon and evening. These are forecasts, not confirmation that either event has already happened.

The Department of Health raised a Code White Alert, placing emergency teams, health supplies and DOH hospital emergency rooms on standby. It advised people to avoid floodwater and to consult a nearby health facility or YAKAP clinic if exposure could not be avoided.

WHAT TO WATCH

Later PAGASA bulletins and local rainfall advisories. The absence of a wind signal at a particular time is not a blanket assurance that every area or journey is safe.

5

CARLOS YULO WINS HIS SECOND ASIAN GAMES GOLD

Carlos Yulo won the men's vault on September 25 for his second gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan. His 14.599 points put him ahead of Iran's Mahdi Olfati, who scored 14.533, and Hong Kong's Ka Ki Ng, who scored 14.116.

His younger brother Karl Eldrew added a bronze medal in the horizontal bar, according to BusinessMirror's report on the brothers' performances.

WHAT TO WATCH

Follow the next official updates and supporting records.

BOTTOM LINE

The next immediate household expense is Monday's fare increase. Fuel-tax relief also needs to be followed through to what families actually pay. Veloso's release is a completed event; the cash-delivery allegations remain under investigation. Keeping those distinctions clear is more useful than treating every announcement as a settled outcome.

SOURCES

  1. GMA Newshttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1003745/mary-jane-veloso-freed-from-prison-hours-after-marcos-announced-pardon/story/
  2. GMA News: pardon and timelinehttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1003744/look-absolute-pardon-for-mary-jane-veloso-signed-by-marcos/story/
  3. ABS-CBN Newshttps://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/9/26/after-17-years-in-prison-mary-jane-veloso-reunites-with-her-family-0127
  4. NewsWatch Plushttps://www.newswatchplus.ph/2026/09/25/higher-jeepney-fares-to-take-effect-sept-28-dotr/
  5. GMA Newshttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/1003710/marcos-suspends-excise-tax-on-lpg-kerosene/story/
  6. GMA Newshttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1003763/sara-duterte-says-she-does-not-know-gracioso-has-not-received-money-from-him/story/
  7. GMA News: 11 a.m. advisoryhttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/weather/content/1003774/queenie-nearing-typhoon-category-pagasa/story/
  8. GMA News: DOH alerthttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1003772/doh-on-code-white-due-to-severe-tropical-storm-queenie/story/
  9. Philippine News Agencyhttps://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/search?q=29
  10. BusinessMirrorhttps://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/09/25/double-delight-yulo-bros-deliver/

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