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LATEST COMMENTARY

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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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September 27, 20266-minute read

ABOUT THE ₱60 NCR MINIMUM-WAGE INCREASE

Who is covered, the two daily rates, and what to check in your next payslip.

NCR minimum wage cover showing the ₱60 daily increase and daily rates of ₱755 and ₱718.

The ₱60 daily minimum-wage increase in Metro Manila took effect on September 26, according to DOLE. Around 1.1 million minimum-wage earners are covered by the announcement.

For a worker planning groceries, fares and bills, the useful questions are straightforward: what is the new rate, who is covered, and when should the change appear in the pay record?

There is also a reason the announcement may sound familiar. Earlier reporting discussed a wage increase under NCR-27. The September announcement identifies NCR-28. Those order numbers should stay attached to their respective dates rather than being casually combined.

1

1. THE NEW DAILY RATES ARE ₱755 AND ₱718

The reported daily minimum for non-agricultural workers rises from ₱695 to ₱755.

The ₱718 rate, up from ₱658, applies to agriculture, retail and service establishments employing 15 workers or fewer, and manufacturing establishments regularly employing fewer than ten workers. Both categories receive the same ₱60 increase.

The two rates can make a headline confusing. Before comparing your wage with either amount, establish which category applies to your workplace. A screenshot showing only ₱755 leaves out the second category.

WHAT TO WATCH

Check the official NCR-28 schedule and the category used by your employer. If the classification is unclear, ask DOLE-NCR or the regional wage board to clarify it.

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2. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR NCR MINIMUM-WAGE WORKERS

DOLE’s September announcement concerns minimum-wage earners in the National Capital Region. It should not be described as a ₱60 increase for every employee throughout the Philippines.

For someone working outside Metro Manila, this headline alone cannot establish the wage rate applicable to their job. Likewise, a worker already earning above the minimum should check the applicable order and employment arrangements rather than assume an identical increase.

A household budget needs the amount the particular worker will receive, not the broadest possible reading of a headline.

WHAT TO WATCH

Confirm the wage order applicable to your workplace and employment category. Where coverage is disputed, seek an official explanation before relying on a promised amount.

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3. ₱60 A DAY CAN ADD UP, BUT IT IS NOT A FIXED MONTHLY BONUS

For illustration, ₱60 multiplied by 22 paid days is ₱1,320. Multiplied by 26 paid days, it is ₱1,560.

Those calculations show the scale of the increase. They are not universal monthly entitlements or take-home-pay estimates. The paid days included in a payroll period and the worker’s applicable pay arrangements determine the actual calculation.

For a family dividing income between food, transport and utilities, the extra amount is worth checking carefully. It is also worth keeping separate from any claim that the increase will cover every rise in household expenses.

WHAT TO WATCH

Compare the daily rate, covered dates and paid days on the next payslip. Ask for the calculation if the amount is difficult to reconcile.

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4. SEPTEMBER 26 IS THE EFFECTIVE DATE IN THE NEW ANNOUNCEMENT

DOLE says NCR-28 took effect on September 26. Employers were urged to comply with the new rates from that date.

A payroll period may contain dates before and after September 26. That is why simply comparing two total payouts can be misleading. The first record to examine is the daily rate applied to the relevant dates.

Keep the payslip and attendance record. They provide a clearer starting point for a question than a social-media comment saying the increase has or has not been paid.

WHAT TO WATCH

On the next payroll, check how work from September 26 onward was recorded. Raise any unexplained difference with payroll staff and seek DOLE guidance if it remains unresolved.

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5. OLDER WAGE ANNOUNCEMENTS SHOULD NOT BE ADDED TO THIS ONE AUTOMATICALLY

DOLE’s July announcement described NCR-27, with a ₱60 first tranche and a later ₱25 tranche. The September announcement identifies NCR-28 as the order taking effect now.

The repeated ₱60 figure can lead readers to assume there are two separate increases to add together. These announcements alone do not support that calculation. Nor should the earlier ₱25 schedule be carried into an explanation of NCR-28 without checking the current order.

For workers, an incorrect total can become an incorrect household budget. For employers, it can become an incorrect payroll calculation.

WHAT TO WATCH

Use the current written wage order and subsequent official guidance to verify any future adjustment. Ask for the document supporting a claimed rate or implementation date.

BOTTOM LINE

The September 26 announcement puts the reported NCR daily minimums at ₱755 and ₱718 for the specified categories. Check your coverage, then check the rate and dates in your payroll record. The increase is useful only when the amount due to the worker is correctly calculated and actually paid.

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