Morning Coffee ThoughtsSearch MCT
MCT CASE TRACKERTracking Sara Duterte’s impeachmentHearings, documents and disputed issues.Follow the trial → MCT CASE TRACKERTracking Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC caseCourt records, hearing dates and sourced notes.Follow the case →

LATEST COMMENTARY

View all commentary →

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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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).

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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?

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
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.

Read the explainer →
November 12, 2026 · Morning Edition

ABOUT REMITTANCES: CHECK THE PESOS YOUR FAMILY WILL RECEIVE

AI-generated editorial illustration of a fictional Filipino sender speaking with a clerk behind glass at a US remittance center, with the official MCT logo.

A dollar-to-peso headline can make a family expect a bigger remittance. But the amount that arrives depends on the rate used by the provider, the fees and how the money is received. Before sending, it helps to put the sender’s total payment and the family’s expected payout beside each other. Those two amounts give a clearer picture than a large advertised rate on its own.

1

THE HEADLINE RATE IS NOT YOUR TRANSFER QUOTE

A market closing rate describes a market at a particular time. A remittance service gives its own transaction quote. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas publishes reference exchange rates, while the World Bank’s remittance-price comparisons account for the exchange-rate margin, the difference between the reference rate and the provider’s rate, as part of the cost of sending money.

Ask how many pesos the recipient will receive, which rate is being used and when that rate is fixed. If an amount is only an estimate, find out what can change before delivery. A quote checked earlier in the day may not be the quote available when payment is made.

For a family paying rent on Friday, the usable information is the amount expected to arrive before that payment is due. A screenshot of a market rate cannot replace the provider’s confirmation of the transfer.

WHAT TO WATCH

The quoted recipient amount, whether it is fixed or estimated, and the point at which the provider locks the rate. Check the final confirmation before paying.

2

COMPARE THE SAME TOTAL SENDING BUDGET

Comparisons can go wrong when one service’s fee is added on top while another deducts its fee from the money being sent. Start with the total amount the sender can afford, then compare what the recipient gets after the stated costs.

Here is a hypothetical example, not a current offer. A sender has US$100 in total. Provider A deducts a US$3 fee and converts the remaining US$97 at ₱63 per dollar: the payout is ₱6,111. Provider B charges no sending fee but converts US$100 at ₱61.50: the payout is ₱6,150. With no other charges in this example, B delivers ₱39 more despite the lower exchange rate.

That result changes if another charge applies. Ask about receiving-bank fees, taxes or other deductions that are not included in the displayed payout. “No sending fee” answers only one part of the cost question.

WHAT TO WATCH

The total taken from the sender, the amount converted, the rate, and any further deduction before the money reaches the recipient. Compare quotes taken close together so a moving exchange rate does not distort the comparison.

3

CHOOSE A WAY TO RECEIVE MONEY THAT THE FAMILY CAN USE

Cash pickup, a bank deposit and a wallet transfer can suit different households. Before choosing, check that the recipient can use that particular service and that the name, account or wallet details are correct. For pickup, confirm the branch, opening hours and identification it requires.

Consider a recipient who must travel to another town to collect cash. A slightly higher payout may be eaten up by transport costs or a second trip if the branch is closed. A deposit may avoid that trip, but the recipient still needs a way to use or withdraw the funds. These are household costs to include alongside the transfer charge.

The BSP encourages formal remittance channels because regulated providers offer protection and a route for complaints. Do not choose an unfamiliar intermediary solely because someone promises a better rate in a private message.

WHAT TO WATCH

Whether the recipient can actually access the money on the promised date, with the documents and account they have. Confirm the arrangement together before the sender pays.

4

KEEP THE RECEIPT UNTIL THE MONEY IS RECEIVED

Save the transaction reference, quoted payout, expected availability date and provider contact details. Ask the recipient to confirm the amount received. If it differs from the confirmation, keep the relevant receipt or account record instead of relying on memory.

For example, if a transfer meant for a school payment has not arrived, a useful message to the provider gives the reference number, the promised date, what the recipient has checked and the help being requested. That makes the problem easier to trace than a message saying only that the money is missing.

Keep these records private. Share them through the provider’s verified assistance channel rather than posting account details or a complete transaction reference publicly. The sender and recipient should agree on how they will confirm delivery without exposing those details.

WHAT TO WATCH

The provider’s stated delivery time and the recipient’s confirmation. Report a delay, wrong amount or other problem promptly, and retain the provider’s response and case number.

5

TAKE AN UNRESOLVED COMPLAINT TO THE RIGHT OFFICE

Raise the problem with the provider first. State what happened and what you want it to do, and keep a copy of the complaint. If the concern involves a BSP-supervised financial institution and remains unresolved, the BSP’s consumer-assistance process provides a route for escalation.

The BSP Online Buddy, or BOB, can guide a complaint through that process. The BSP also accepts its Complaints, Inquiries and Requests form by email at [email protected]. Supporting records should include the complaint already sent to the institution and its reply, if any.

The correct regulator can depend on where the transfer was sent and which provider handled it. The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for example, describes protections for covered transfers sent from the United States. Its cancellation and error-reporting rules should not be assumed to apply to every transfer from every country. Check the rules for the actual transaction rather than borrowing a deadline from someone else’s experience.

WHAT TO WATCH

The provider’s complaint procedure, any applicable reporting deadline and the regulator responsible for that service. Keep the complaint focused on the transaction and the result you are seeking.

BOTTOM LINE

Before sending, agree on the total budget, the expected peso payout and how the family will receive it. Then keep the confirmation until delivery is checked. A useful remittance comparison ends with money the recipient can access when it is needed, after the costs both sides will bear.

SOURCES

  1. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas: OF Portal FAQs on remittances.
  2. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas: Exchange-rate statistics and reference bulletins.
  3. World Bank: Remittance Prices Worldwide methodology.
  4. World Bank: About Remittance Prices Worldwide.
  5. US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Sending money to another country.
  6. US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Remittance-transfer disclosures, Regulation E §1005.31.
  7. US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, reviewed October 3, 2024: What is a remittance transfer and what are my rights?.
  8. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas: Consumer assistance channels and chatbot.
Photo credits

AI illustration / OpenAI OpenAI

GOOGLE PREFERRED SOURCES

FOLLOW MCT ON GOOGLE

Google’s Preferred Sources feature lets you choose publications you want Google to prioritize for you. Select “Add to Preferred Sources” to make MCT easier to find in Top Stories and other eligible Google results. This does not subscribe you to email.

← Back to MCT home

SUPPORT MCT

HELP KEEP INDEPENDENT POLITICAL WRITING GOING.

Morning Coffee Thoughts is reader-supported. Contributions help pay for research tools, hosting, and the work required to verify and explain each development.

Monthly PayPal subscription — choose your support amount.

₱180.00 is in Philippine pesos (PHP). US$7, US$20 and US$50 are in US dollars (USD). All four options are recurring monthly subscriptions.

Subscribe monthly through PayPal

PayPal automatically charges your chosen amount every month until you cancel the subscription in PayPal.

Send support through GCash or Maya0969 314 4839