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 →

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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

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 READER PULSE · MCT-PULSE-2026-010

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October 7, 2026 · 8:49 AM3-minute read

ABOUT THE ARREST WARRANT AGAINST LEANDRO LEVISTE

A Makati court has ordered the arrest of Batangas First District Representative Leandro Leviste over an alleged violation of the Public Service Act. The reports checked for this article do not confirm that he has been taken into custody.

Leandro Leviste official portrait. Credit: Leandro Leviste / Wikimedia Commons.

With several complaints involving Leviste already in the news, it is easy to mix them together. Here are five things that explain this development.

1

The warrant was issued on October 5

GMA News reports that Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 235 issued the warrant on October 5, signed by Presiding Judge Ricardo A. Moldez II. Its report, updated on October 7, says bail was set at ₱72,000.

WHAT TO WATCH

A warrant directs authorities to arrest someone and bring that person before the court. Its issuance does not establish that the arrest has happened, and it is not a finding of guilt.

2

The charge concerns a duty under the Public Service Act

According to GMA’s report, the warrant concerns Section 25 of Commonwealth Act No. 146, as amended by Republic Act No. 11659.

That provision covers knowingly and willfully failing to perform something the law requires, including directing or helping a public service company to fail to perform that duty. For companies, imprisonment applies to the officers, directors or managers knowingly and willfully responsible.

WHAT TO WATCH

The possible punishment is a fine of up to ₱2 million, imprisonment ranging from six years and one day to twelve years, or both. Those are penalties upon conviction, not a sentence already imposed on Leviste.

3

The earlier energy complaint concerned promises to deliver electricity

In May, the Department of Energy filed a Public Service Act complaint against Leviste and five other officials of Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation. The company had received a 25-year legislative franchise to install renewable-energy microgrids in selected areas.

WHAT TO WATCH

The DOE alleged that the officials failed to meet obligations under that franchise almost seven years after it was granted. This is the background to the Public Service Act dispute. The full charge filed in court would establish the precise acts or failures prosecutors are asking the judge to rule on.

4

His camp disputes responsibility for the project’s failure

Speaking on September 25, lawyer Tony La Viña argued that Solar Para sa Bayan was not implemented because the DOE had failed to issue the necessary rules and identify the places where the project would operate. He denied that Leviste had committed a criminal act.

WHAT TO WATCH

That is an earlier defense of the project, rather than a response to the newly reported warrant. It remains a claim that must be weighed against the government’s evidence.

5

The next question is whether the warrant has been served

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said authorities would coordinate with the Bureau of Immigration to determine Leviste’s status and serve the warrant. Leviste was last reported to be in France with his mother, Senator Loren Legarda, who was receiving medical treatment. That earlier report does not establish his exact location today.

WHAT TO WATCH

The ₱72,000 bail amount is security for release subject to the court’s requirements; it is not payment that ends the case. The charge still has to be answered and decided through the court process.

BOTTOM LINE

For now, the accurate statement is that Leviste faces an arrest warrant over an alleged Public Service Act violation. Whether he has been arrested, surrendered or posted bail requires a separate, confirmed update.

SOURCES

  1. GMA Newshttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1005015/leandro-leviste-faces-arrest-warrant-over-alleged-public-service-act-violation/story/
  2. Republic Act No. 11659, Section 14https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2022/ra_11659_2022.html
  3. Philippine News Agencyhttps://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1274539
  4. GMA Newshttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1003681/legarda-camp-wants-plunder-complaint-reconsidered/story/
  5. Daily Tribunehttps://tribune.net.ph/2026/10/06/makati-court-orders-levistes-arrest
  6. Rules of Court, Rule 114https://lawphil.net/courts/rules/rc_110-127_crim.html

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