NEW FROM MCT · CONTINUING RECORDThe Sara Duterte Impeachment TrialFollow the hearing day by day, read the documents in plain language and see what each side says, what remains disputed and what the courts have actually decided.I’m still working through parts of the record. Published material is based on documents already reviewed, and anything awaiting confirmation is clearly marked.Open the tracker →

LATEST COMMENTARY

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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

12:00 PM5-minute read

ABOUT THE PROPOSED RULES ON SECONDHAND PHONES

A secondhand phone can put a useful device within reach of someone who cannot afford a new one. The problem comes when the buyer has no clear information about where it came from, what condition it is in, or who will fix it if it fails.

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8:35 PM6-minute read

ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ON THE IMPEACHMENT VOTE THRESHOLD

The Supreme Court dismissed three petitions on September 30 challenging how the Senate impeachment court would count the votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte. The dismissal leaves the Senate’s September 23 ruling in place, but it needs to be read carefully. A case can be dismissed because it does not meet the requirements for the Court to hear it, without settling whether the challenged action is constitutional.

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6:12 AM6-minute read

ABOUT WHAT BASTE DUTERTE SHOULD HAVE CHECKED AS MAYOR

Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte told the Senate impeachment court on September 29 that he had been unfamiliar with GenCorp Industries Inc. before it came up in the proceedings. He also said he did not know about Vice President Sara Duterte’s declared business interest in the company.

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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

A worn Philippine roadside fuel station and parked jeepney at dusk.

Next week’s fuel prices could move in opposite directions, internet providers are working around a damaged international cable, and nearly a thousand Semirara workers face job losses. Tonight’s brief also follows the police update on the Benguet mining deaths and Sara Duterte’s request to move her NBI conference.

1

Diesel could fall while gasoline rises next week

An oil industry source cited by GMA projects a diesel rollback of ₱1.00 to ₱1.20 per liter and a gasoline increase of ₱1.80 to ₱2.00 next week. The estimates use a full week of Singapore fuel trading and exchange-rate averages. They remain forecasts; fuel companies have yet to announce their final adjustments.

For a 30-liter purchase, those estimates would mean a diesel saving of ₱30 to ₱36, or an additional gasoline expense of ₱54 to ₱60. These calculations describe a possible change in the bill, not the total pump price. Drivers should check the fuel they use rather than assume that every product is getting cheaper.

WHAT TO WATCH

Look for company announcements on Monday, October 5, showing the final amounts and their implementation times on Tuesday, October 6. Those announcements will establish the adjustment motorists actually pay.

2

Globe reroutes traffic after an international cable break

Globe says it has moved international data traffic to other routes after a subsea fiber break reduced available bandwidth. Some mobile and broadband customers may experience slower browsing or intermittent connections. The company estimates that full repairs could take several weeks and says it is working with partners to determine the cause.

That estimate is not a firm restoration date. It also does not establish the cause of every customer’s connection problem. People working or studying online should check their provider’s advisory and report continuing problems, especially when calls, uploads or access to work tools are affected. An alternative connection may help, but its performance needs to be checked before relying on it for an important deadline.

WHAT TO WATCH

Follow Globe’s repair updates and whether service improves while traffic uses alternative routes. A confirmed repair schedule would help customers plan work and classes that depend on a stable connection.

3

Flooding at Semirara’s Acacia mine puts 996 jobs at risk

Semirara Mining and Power Corporation announced a supplemental redundancy program affecting 996 employees in an October 2 disclosure. The company says seawater entering its Acacia mine exceeds its current pumping capacity and has disrupted work needed to reach future coal reserves.

Semirara has kept its 2026 coal production target at 12 million metric tons, while warning that the disruption will affect 2027 production. That separates the immediate employment decision from the company’s outlook for next year. The announcement does not, by itself, establish an impending nationwide power shortage.

For affected families, the immediate concern is income during the transition. Semirara says it will support workers, but that commitment needs to be followed through with clear information about the redundancy schedule, assistance and any opportunities for other work.

WHAT TO WATCH

Look for the company’s detailed employee transition arrangements and updates on its mine operations and 2027 production plan. These will show how workers are being helped and how long the operational disruption may last.

4

Police confirm gas poisoning in the Benguet mining deaths

Benguet police said on October 3 that gas poisoning caused the deaths of seven people in an abandoned mining tunnel in Itogon. Provincial police director Dionisio Bonoy said the tunnel was closed to the public. The investigation continues, and the remains have been returned to the families.

The deaths occurred earlier; today’s development is the police confirmation. Earlier reports had described gas poisoning as a suspected cause. Local disaster officials had also raised poor ventilation as a possible reason for gas accumulating inside the tunnel. The available reports do not identify a particular gas or settle responsibility for the incident.

For mining communities, the next question is how access to closed tunnels is controlled and how workers are protected from dangerous conditions underground. The families also need clear answers from the continuing investigation.

WHAT TO WATCH

Follow the investigation’s findings on tunnel access, safety conditions and responsibility, together with any announced assistance for the families. These findings will show what needs to change to prevent another loss of life.

5

Sara Duterte asks to move her NBI conference to October 8

Sara Duterte’s lawyers say she and her counsel cannot attend the NBI conference scheduled for October 5 at 10 a.m. In a letter dated October 1, they requested Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.’s affidavit, its attachments and any supporting evidence. They said the affidavit mentioned in the NBI’s letter had not been attached.

The lawyers requested a conference on October 8 at 10 a.m., subject to timely receipt of the documents and enough time to review them. That is a requested date. The reports reviewed do not establish that the NBI has approved the change.

The conference concerns allegations under investigation. A request for documents or a change of schedule does not prove or disprove those allegations. Readers should follow the NBI’s response and the statements and documents that enter the investigation.

WHAT TO WATCH

Check whether the NBI supplies the requested documents and confirms a new conference date. That response will clarify when Duterte’s camp is expected to provide its answer.

BOTTOM LINE

For tonight, keep the coming deadlines in view: Monday’s fuel announcements, the NBI’s response to the scheduling request, and the repair and employment updates still awaited. In Benguet, the police confirmation gives the families an answer about the cause of death, while the investigation still has questions to resolve.

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