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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

3-minute read

WHY WINNING DOES NOT END A VOTE-BUYING CASE

If a candidate has already won and been proclaimed, can a vote-buying case still cost them the position? The Supreme Court’s latest announcement on two Candijay, Bohol candidates shows why the election result does not settle everything.

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5-minute read

HOW THE NEXT CHIEF JUSTICE IS CHOSEN

The Judicial and Bar Council has finished interviewing candidates to succeed Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is due to retire on November 6. GMA News reported the completed interviews on October 27. The interviews are one stage of a process that gives the President a choice, but also sets limits on who can be chosen and how the appointment is made.

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4-minute read

ABOUT COMPENSATION FOR WORK-RELATED HEAT ILLNESS

If someone becomes ill while working in extreme heat, the problem can continue after the shift ends: medical bills, missed work and uncertainty about where to ask for help. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced guidelines on October 23 for heat-illness claims under the existing Employees' Compensation Program (ECP).

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5-minute read

ABOUT BATO DELA ROSA’S ₱50-MILLION BOUNTY

The DILG announced a ₱50-million bounty for Senator Bato dela Rosa’s capture on October 23. The announcement came after months of talk about a possible reward—and days after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said authorities knew dela Rosa was in Mindanao and were negotiating for his turnover.

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Afternoon6-minute read

ABOUT THE OVP’S 2027 BUDGET AFTER A 16-MINUTE SENATE HEARING

The Office of the Vice President’s proposed budget moved through a Senate panel today in 16 minutes. Vice President Sara Duterte was absent; her chief of staff answered for the office. Yesterday’s MCT explainer looked at parliamentary courtesy. Today’s question is what that short hearing actually did to the spending plan, and what it left for the Senate to examine.

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Afternoon6-minute read

ABOUT THE EDSA BUSWAY’S 2027 BUDGET GAP

The Department of Transportation is again asking Congress to fund the EDSA Busway. Its original ₱1.756 billion request received zero in the administration’s proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program. A House budget panel later inserted ₱75 million. Those two statements describe different stages of the same budget process. Neither tells us yet what Congress will finally approve.

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Afternoon7-minute read

ABOUT DECLARING AN AMBASSADOR PERSONA NON GRATA

Several lawmakers want Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan sent home. The Chinese Embassy has challenged them to follow through. That exchange leaves an ordinary reader with a reasonable question: if our own officials say an ambassador should leave, why is he still here?

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7:23 AM5-minute read

ABOUT LINO CAYETANO AND THE CHANGE AT THE PCO

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on October 11 that Lino Cayetano would replace Dave Gomez at the Presidential Communications Office. He said Gomez had been bypassed by the Commission on Appointments and that the change would be formalized when they returned from Singapore.

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6:10 PM4-minute read

ABOUT THE DISPUTE OVER CHANGING THE ORDER OF IMPEACHMENT WITNESSES

The argument at Thursday’s impeachment hearing was about which witness the prosecution could present next. It began with an absent lawyer and became a dispute over preparation and notice. Understanding the exchange helps explain why a courtroom can pause even when the parties, documents and another potential witness are already in the building.

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3:01 PM3-minute read

ABOUT MARK VILLAR’S MOVE TO THE SENATE MAJORITY

Senator Mark Villar has formally left the Senate minority and joined the majority. The October 8 move strengthens the bloc supporting the chamber’s leadership and gives Villar two significant positions. Its implications for Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, however, require more than counting political allies.

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9:56 AM4-minute read

ABOUT THE MANAGER’S CHECKS AND THE QUESTIONS OVER SARA DUTERTE’S SALN

A bank balance can fall even when the value represented by the money has not disappeared. That distinction sits behind the prosecution’s questions about manager’s checks in Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. To understand the October 7 testimony, we need to follow the instrument, the person entitled to its value and the declaration of assets for the relevant year.

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9:08 PM3-minute read

ABOUT WHAT COA’S REJECTION OF THE OVP APPEAL MEANS

COA has rejected the request to reconsider the ₱73.287-million disallowance involving the Office of the Vice President’s December 2022 confidential expenses. The October 5 resolution became public on October 7. Its significance is easier to understand when the amount, the audit finding and the available legal remedies are kept separate.

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7:47 AM3-minute read

ABOUT WHAT BANK SECRECY PROTECTS IN AN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

The arguments over bank records in Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial involve several protections. The privacy of a peso deposit, the protection of a foreign-currency deposit, and the confidentiality of a report sent to the AMLC come from different rules. Understanding those differences helps explain what the court has allowed and what remains in dispute.

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8:43 AM8-minute read

ABOUT THE AMLC RECORDS IN SARA DUTERTE’S IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

₱4.4 billion is a figure that can dominate a conversation before anyone asks what it counts. AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura presented that approximate total in the Senate impeachment court on October 5, covering reported transactions involving Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio. He also explained that a bank correction had reduced the earlier figure of ₱6.7 billion.

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6:44 PM5-minute read

ABOUT THE COINS.PH CASH-IN RESTRICTION AND WHAT USERS SHOULD CHECK

If you use Coins.ph to receive money or pay bills, a failed cash-in can disrupt plans for the day. Coins.ph has announced that some incoming peso services are temporarily unavailable following a BSP directive to improve its internal controls. Its advisory also identifies services that existing customers can still use.

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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 Daily Brief

AI-generated editorial illustration of a drought-affected Philippine farming community, with the official MCT logo.

SENATORS URGE CALAMITY DECLARATION FOR EL NIÑO-HIT AREAS

Good morning. Twenty senators are urging the President to declare a state of calamity or imminent disaster in areas affected or threatened by El Niño and speed up assistance. The Senate's budget committee is also taking more time to examine proposed spending before bringing its report to the floor. In Dagupan, teachers in ten schools received laptops, and 234 newly hired School Counselor Associates took their oaths. At sea, Samuel's departure from the Philippine Area of Responsibility has not ended the warnings for northern coastal communities.

1

TWENTY SENATORS SEEK A CALAMITY DECLARATION FOR EL NIÑO-HIT AREAS

Twenty senators have signed Proposed Senate Resolution 765, asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a state of calamity or imminent disaster in areas affected or threatened by El Niño. The request brings lawmakers from different blocs behind a call for faster relief and preparation.

They want the Department of Budget and Management and other agencies to identify and mobilize eligible funds in the 2026 budget, including the national disaster fund and agency Quick Response Funds. The proposed resolution also seeks an accounting of funds available and eligible for the response.

The senators are asking for priority assistance to affected farmers and fisherfolk as drought threatens livelihoods and food production. Their proposed resolution is a request for executive action; signing it does not itself put an area under a presidential calamity declaration or establish a new cash benefit that people can already claim.

The next question is which areas will receive funded assistance and on what schedule. Communities need to know which agency will provide support and when, particularly where lost production has already reduced household income.

WHAT TO WATCH

The President's response, any recommendation from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and the specific places and measures covered by any resulting declaration. Watch for agencies' actual funding and delivery commitments, alongside the senators' request for an accounting.

2

EJERCITO SAYS BUDGET REPORT WILL MISS NOVEMBER 11 TARGET

Senate finance committee chair JV Ejercito said on November 9 that he would not be able to present the committee report on the proposed 2027 national budget to the plenary on November 11 as previously planned.

He said the committee was still reviewing agency proposals, particularly those of DPWH and the Department of Transportation, as well as the House version of the budget bill. Ejercito said he and Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian had brought in additional staff for the detailed review.

The checks include whether projects have complete requirements and whether the budget contains duplicate entries or incorrect geotagging. A project's listed location and supporting documents help legislators establish what they are being asked to fund. The committee report will show what those checks change in the proposed spending plan.

In his Dos Por Dos interview, Ejercito raised November 16 as a possible date for presenting the report. That date remains tentative. He still targeted November 23 for the start of plenary debates, with deliberations expected to continue through December 1. The committee has yet to confirm the revised schedule.

WHAT TO WATCH

The completed committee report, its project-level changes and the confirmed plenary schedule. The record should make it possible to see which entries were corrected, removed or retained after the review, rather than merely record that more time was taken.

3

TEACHERS IN TEN DAGUPAN SCHOOLS RECEIVE 209 LAPTOPS

Teachers in ten Dagupan schools received 209 laptops on November 9 under the Department of Education's national computerization program. Seventy-two units went to Dagupan City National High School, with the other 137 distributed among nine schools.

The Schools Division Office valued the equipment at more than ₱8.6 million. Training through GuroXL will follow to help teachers use the devices for instruction.

The national teacher allocation is much larger: 231,725 laptops, comprising 169,008 MacBook Neo units and 62,717 Windows devices. A separate 3,646 MacBooks are intended for administrative personnel. The national figures describe the wider allocation, of which the Dagupan delivery is one part.

DepEd has set March 2027 as the suppliers' delivery deadline. For schools, the useful follow-through is a working device assigned to a teacher, the training to use it and support when it needs repair. The next deliveries will show how quickly the program reaches more schools.

WHAT TO WATCH

The next verified delivery totals and recipient schools, the GuroXL training schedule, and how warranty and repair support will work for recipients. Schools will also need clear contacts for reporting faulty equipment and following up on repairs.

4

234 SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATES TAKE THEIR OATHS IN DAGUPAN

Two hundred thirty-four newly hired School Counselor Associates took their oaths in Dagupan on November 9. The government presented the appointments as part of its effort to strengthen student guidance, mental-health support and school safety.

The hiring adds personnel to a system with distinct professional roles. Under Republic Act 12080, a School Counselor must be a registered guidance counselor or registered psychologist. The associate is a separate position that assists the counselor and has its own educational qualifications.

The law also specifies what happens when a public-school Care Center has only associates: it must facilitate referral to the Schools Division Counselor for counseling. Its other functions include monitoring learners' needs, supporting parents and connecting students with appropriate services. For a family seeking help, the person who first receives the concern may need to arrange a referral to another professional.

The government has yet to provide, in this announcement, a school-by-school assignment list or the dates when each appointee will begin serving learners. Those details will determine where the additional support becomes available.

WHAT TO WATCH

The appointees' school assignments, start dates and referral arrangements. Schools should be able to tell learners and parents whom to approach, how to request a private conversation and where counseling is available when an associate is the first point of contact.

5

SAMUEL LEAVES PAR, BUT DANGEROUS SEAS CONTINUE

Typhoon Cempaka, formerly Samuel, remained outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility early this morning. PAGASA's 4 a.m. forecast placed it 1,590 kilometers east northeast of Northern Luzon as of 3 a.m. The northeast monsoon, or amihan, was affecting Luzon, while easterlies were affecting the rest of the country.

The 5 a.m. gale warning covered Batanes, the Babuyan Islands, the listed northern and eastern coasts of mainland Cagayan, and northern Ilocos Norte. It forecast rough to very rough seas with waves of 2.8 to 5 meters in those areas. The warning also covered specified western Ilocos Norte coasts and Ilocos Sur, with waves of 2.8 to 4.5 meters. Its coverage extends to sea areas within 30 nautical miles of the named coasts.

PAGASA advised small seacraft, including motorbancas of any type or tonnage, to remain in port or seek safe harbor. For larger vessels, it stressed the need for experience, proper equipment and precautions. These warnings concern specific coastal areas, not all Philippine waters.

The morning forecast also warned of possible flash floods or landslides from amihan rains in Aurora, Quezon and Camarines Norte. Samuel's exit therefore does not settle whether a fishing trip, crossing or journey along a rain-affected route is safe. Check the warning for the actual area, local port restrictions and the operator's confirmed sailing status.

WHAT TO WATCH

PAGASA's next gale warning, scheduled for 5 p.m. unless an intermediate warning is issued, and any Coast Guard or port suspension affecting the intended route. Check the latest local rain advisories as well as the sea forecast.

BOTTOM LINE

The calamity request and budget delay put two questions before government: how quickly aid can reach affected communities, and how thoroughly next year's projects will be checked before funding is approved. Dagupan's deliveries and hiring can now be followed through to training, working equipment and services students can use. Along the northern coasts, the immediate decision is more urgent: a storm's exit does not make a rough sea safe for a fishing boat or passenger trip.

SOURCES

  1. News5, November 9, 9:39 p.m.: Senators' request for calamity or imminent-disaster actionhttps://news.tv5.com.ph/national/read/senators-urge-marcos-to-declare-state-of-calamity-in-el-nino-hit-areas
  2. BusinessMirror, November 10: Proposed Senate Resolution 765 and requested funding measureshttps://businessmirror.com.ph/2026/11/10/20-senators-urge-marcos-to-declare-state-of-calamity-over-el-nino/
  3. DZRH, November 9: Ejercito's interview on the missed November 11 target and tentative November 16 presentationhttps://www.dzrh.com.ph/post/2027-budget-committee-report-set-for-plenary-presentation-on-nov-16-ejercito
  4. Radyo Pilipinas, November 9: Budget timetable and continuing document reviewhttps://radyopilipinas.ph/2026/11/09/senate-finance-chief-jv-ejercito-kinumpirma-na-hindi-pa-matutuloy-ang-sponsorship-ng-budget-bill-sa-miyerkules/
  5. Philippine Information Agency, November 9: Dagupan laptop handover, school allocations and planned traininghttps://pia.gov.ph/news/pbbm-leads-turnover-of-ict-equipment-to-dagupan-schools-advances-digitalization-of-basic-education/
  6. Philippine News Agency, November 9, 2:02 p.m.: National laptop allocation and delivery deadlinehttps://www.pna.gov.ph/article/marcos-leads-nationwide-laptop-distribution-to-public-school-teachers
  7. GMA News, November 9, 11:23 a.m.: Dagupan delivery and national allocation breakdownhttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1008798/deped-begins-distribution-of-172-000-macbooks-to-public-school-teachers/story/
  8. Presidential Communications Office through the Philippine Information Agency, November 10: November 9 oath-taking of 234 newly hired School Counselor Associateshttps://pia.gov.ph/news/school-counselor-associates-to-strengthen-student-guidance-school-safety-pbbm/
  9. Republic Act 12080, sections 3, 7 and 8: School Counselor and associate roles, Care Centers and counseling referralshttps://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2024/ra_12080_2024.html
  10. PAGASA, November 10, 4 a.m.: Daily forecast and 3 a.m. observation of Cempaka outside PARhttps://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/weather
  11. PAGASA, November 10, 5 a.m.: Gale Warning 2 for specified Northern Luzon coastshttps://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/marine/gale-warning
Photo credits

AI illustration / OpenAI OpenAI

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