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LATEST COMMENTARY

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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

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 READER PULSE · MCT-PULSE-2026-010

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October 9, 2026 · 10:55 AM5-minute read

ABOUT THE CHANGES TO THE ₱7.2-TRILLION 2027 BUDGET AND WHAT STILL NEEDS SCRUTINY

The House has approved the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 on second reading, with about ₱116 billion in reported amendments. Its next scheduled vote is on October 12.

Editorial cover about proposed 2027 budget amendments, using a file photograph of Philippine peso banknotes. STAR / File. Not a photograph of an allocation or cash distribution.

For someone waiting for a classroom repair, help with medical expenses, or relief from transport costs, the useful question is where the money will go and how the proposed allocation will become an available service.

Here are five things to know before treating a budget announcement as assistance that a family can already receive.

1

SECOND READING IS ONE STEP IN THE PROCESS

The House approved House Bill 10858, as amended, on Wednesday, October 7. Reports published on October 8 describe that vote; they should not be read as a separate approval on Thursday.

The measure remains a proposed spending plan. House leaders have scheduled third and final reading for Monday, October 12.

A reader should check which approval a headline describes. Passing second reading does not mean the government has begun distributing the assistance discussed during the debate.

WHAT TO WATCH

The October 12 vote and the text that accompanies it. Check whether the announced amendments appear in that version of the bill.

2

ABOUT ₱116 BILLION IN AMENDMENTS NEEDS TO BE TRACED

Reports from the House deliberations describe about ₱116 billion in amendments to the proposed budget. The changes include allocations for education, agriculture, infrastructure, and transportation.

When money is realigned, a useful explanation must show both the program receiving it and the allocation being reduced. An announcement about additional funding for one agency gives only part of that picture.

The proposed budget still carries a ₱7.2-trillion headline amount. Readers need to see how the changes fit within that spending plan rather than add every announced increase to the total themselves.

WHAT TO WATCH

The original and amended allocations side by side, including the reasons given for each reduction and increase.

3

THE PROGRAM DETAILS WILL DETERMINE WHO BENEFITS

Reported priorities include education, support for the transport sector, agriculture, and infrastructure. These address expenses and services that households deal with directly.

But a proposed allocation does not tell a parent which classroom will be repaired, a driver whether they qualify for assistance, or a farmer when an irrigation project will reach their community.

Those questions need program details. A useful funding announcement should identify the service, the intended recipients, the implementing agency, and the steps needed before people can receive it.

WHAT TO WATCH

Project lists and eligibility conditions. Before sharing an application instruction, check that the responsible agency has actually opened the program.

4

THE TRANSPARENCY DISPUTE IS ABOUT THE DETAILS

ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio questioned the disclosure of specific amendments and where the money would go. The House has described its review as a line-by-line process, with amendments and proceedings made public.

These are positions to examine against the documents. Tinio's objection does not establish that money has been misused, and the House's account does not by itself answer every question about an allocation.

Budget scrutiny has to reach the entries below the headline amount. A large allocation needs enough detail for people to identify the project or service it is supposed to pay for.

For a local project, useful questions include its location, purpose, proposed cost, and implementing office. For an assistance program, they include the selection rules and how recipients will be informed.

These questions can be asked without assuming that an allocation is improper. They give the public a way to assess a proposal before spending begins and to compare the eventual result with the stated purpose.

WHAT TO WATCH

Whether the published documents answer those questions. A broad program name should lead readers to a more specific explanation of the proposed spending.

5

THE NEXT VOTE IS A CHECKPOINT FOR THE AMENDMENTS

The planned October 12 House vote is the next announced checkpoint. It gives readers a concrete date on which to check the bill's status again.

The useful comparison will be between the amendments discussed this week and the version put to that vote. Any change in an amount or condition should be explained before people rely on it.

Families waiting for assistance should continue checking the responsible agency's current services. A proposal for next year's funding is not an instruction to apply for a new benefit today.

WHAT TO WATCH

The vote result, the published bill, and any revision to the schedule. Keep proposed assistance separate from programs already accepting applications.

BOTTOM LINE

The House budget amendments deserve attention because they concern services people need. The test is whether the documents explain who will receive those services, where the money will be spent, and what has to happen before the proposed funding can be used.

For now, follow the bill through its next scheduled vote and check assistance announcements against the agencies actually running the programs.

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