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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

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 21, 2026 · 9:00 AM5-minute read

ABOUT THE RIGHT AGAINST SELF-INCRIMINATION

What a witness can refuse to answer, and why invoking the right is not a confession.

An empty witness chair and microphone in a hearing room.

“I invoke my right to self-incrimination” has the words backwards. The protection is the right against self-incrimination: a person cannot be compelled to give testimony that would incriminate them. Hearing that phrase in a public proceeding can sound like an admission. It is a claim of a constitutional protection, and its effect depends on the person's role and the proceeding. Here are five things to know.

1

THE RIGHT PROTECTS AGAINST COMPELLED INCRIMINATING TESTIMONY

The Constitution says no person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself. The core concern is forced testimony that could expose a person to criminal liability. An uncomfortable question, a politically damaging answer and an incriminating answer are not automatically the same thing. The privilege must be assessed in relation to what a particular answer could reveal.

WHAT TO WATCH

The exact question asked and the reason an answer might tend to incriminate the person. A clip containing only the refusal may leave out the essential context.

2

AN ORDINARY WITNESS USUALLY CANNOT CLAIM A BLANKET RIGHT TO AVOID EVERY QUESTION

In a Senate inquiry in aid of legislation, the Senate's rules say a witness may invoke the privilege when a question tending to elicit an incriminating answer is put to them. The witness cannot refuse to appear, take the oath or answer all questions in advance solely on that basis. Invoking the right for one question does not automatically excuse the witness from giving other testimony. The committee may determine whether an invocation is proper.

WHAT TO WATCH

Whether the witness answers other questions and whether the committee rules on the specific refusal. The Senate rule cited here governs legislative inquiries; an impeachment trial has its own procedure.

3

THE POSITION OF AN ACCUSED PERSON IS DIFFERENT

An accused person in a criminal case cannot be compelled to take the stand as a witness against themselves. An ordinary witness in another proceeding may have to appear and then raise the privilege when a particular question creates the risk. The Supreme Court has distinguished the accused's ability to remain silent from a witness's question-by-question invocation.

WHAT TO WATCH

Is the person an accused in a criminal case, a witness in a Senate inquiry, or a witness before the impeachment court? The answer changes which procedural rules apply.

4

INVOKING THE RIGHT IS NOT PROOF OF GUILT

The words can be dramatic, particularly during a televised hearing. They do not establish that the witness committed a crime or that an allegation against someone else is true. A question may create a real risk of self-incrimination even when the wider accusation remains unproved. Investigators still need admissible evidence, and a decision-maker must assess the full record. The constitutional right would be hollow if using it were treated as a confession.

WHAT TO WATCH

Documents, other testimony and formal findings, rather than treating one refusal as a verdict.

5

THE PROCEEDING CAN CONTINUE, BUT THE QUESTION MAY NEED A RULING

In a Senate legislative inquiry, the committee may decide whether the witness properly invoked the privilege. If it rejects the claim, its rules set out how questioning resumes and how a continued refusal may be handled. That process does not erase the constitutional protection; the committee's decision itself can become a legal dispute. In other settings, the body hearing the case applies its own rules and rulings.

WHAT TO WATCH

The ruling on the exact question, any objection or legal challenge, and whether the investigation proceeds through independent evidence.

BOTTOM LINE

The phrase is “right against self-incrimination.” In a Senate inquiry, a witness generally raises it in response to a specific question that may incriminate them; it is not a general pass to avoid a hearing. An accused in a criminal case has a broader right not to take the stand. Invoking the protection does not prove guilt. To understand what happened in a viral clip, look at the question, the person's role and the ruling—not just the line that drew the reaction.

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