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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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MCT READER PULSE · MCT-PULSE-2026-010

MCT READER SURVEY

Should Vice President Sara Duterte resign while her impeachment trial is ongoing?

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September 23, 2026 · 7:00 PM5-minute read

ABOUT TODAY’S SENATE IMPEACHMENT VOTE

Who voted, who did not, and how the Senate’s 13–1 ruling changes the calculation for conviction.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Chiz Escudero holding a gavel. Senate of the Philippines screengrab via Bistado.

The Senate impeachment court voted today to replace the fixed 16-vote requirement in Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial. The decision changes how the court will calculate the votes needed for conviction.

There were two separate votes, and neither decided whether Duterte was guilty. Here is who voted, who did not, and what the ruling means.

1

THE COURT VOTED 13–1 TO CHANGE THE CALCULATION

Thirteen senator-judges supported Erwin Tulfo’s appeal to overturn the July 6 ruling requiring 16 votes. Presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero cast the lone vote against it, while six senators did not participate.

Earlier, the court rejected Alan Peter Cayetano’s attempt to stop the threshold vote. Thirteen senators rejected his challenge, six supported it, and Mark Villar abstained.

Those were different questions. The first cleared the way for a decision; the second changed the rule used to calculate the votes needed for conviction.

WHAT TO WATCH

Read the question behind each tally. A vote to change a trial rule is not a vote finding Duterte guilty.

2

THESE WERE THE 13 WHO VOTED FOR THE CHANGE

The senators were Bam Aquino, JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Lito Lapid, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Erwin Tulfo, Raffy Tulfo, Joel Villanueva, Mark Villar, and Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri.

Escudero voted against the change. He nevertheless said he would give effect to the court’s majority decision.

Mark Villar’s position needs a clear explanation: he abstained in the earlier procedural vote, then voted for the change in the main vote. Reporting only his earlier abstention would leave readers with the wrong account of his final vote.

WHAT TO WATCH

These 13 votes do not establish a bloc of 13 senators committed to conviction. Their eventual votes on the charges must be recorded separately.

3

SIX DID NOT PARTICIPATE; FOUR OTHERS WERE ABSENT

Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Christopher “Bong” Go, Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, and Camille Villar did not participate in the main vote. All six had supported Cayetano’s earlier challenge.

The four absent senators were Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Jinggoy Estrada, Loren Legarda, and Rodante Marcoleta.

That accounts for all 24 Senate seats: 13 for the change, one against, six who did not participate, and four absent. The six nonparticipants should not be recorded as six votes against the ruling.

WHAT TO WATCH

Nonparticipation in today’s vote does not, by itself, establish that a senator will be excluded when the court calculates the requirement for the verdict.

4

TWO-THIRDS STILL APPLIES. FOURTEEN DEPENDS ON THE VOTING BASE

The Constitution requires the agreement of two-thirds of all Senate members for conviction. Today’s dispute concerned which senators should be counted when some cannot legally or physically perform their duties.

Under the new ruling, the court must determine, using evidence, which senators remain legally and factually able to participate when the verdict is reached. The calculation will use that group, with any fraction rounded up.

If the court determines that 20 senators belong in that group, conviction requires 14 votes. Two-thirds of 20 is 13⅓, so 13 would fall short.

The ruling does not automatically settle the final number today. It applies to Duterte’s current trial and does not bind future impeachment courts.

WHAT TO WATCH

The court’s decision on who qualifies for inclusion in the calculation. Simply counting the people present in the room is not enough.

5

THIS COULD CHANGE HOW MANY VOTES THE PROSECUTION NEEDS

With a voting base of 20, the prosecution would need two fewer votes than under the previous fixed requirement of 16. That could affect the outcome when senators eventually decide the charges.

Supporters argue that senators who cannot perform their duties should not prevent the court from reaching a verdict. Duterte’s defense maintains its objection to changing the earlier ruling and says it will pursue available legal remedies.

Today’s result therefore leaves two decisions ahead: who will be counted in the final calculation, and how those senators will vote after considering the case.

WHAT TO WATCH

Any legal challenge and the court’s response, followed by the eventual votes on the charges. An announced challenge is not a court order overturning today’s ruling.

BOTTOM LINE

Today’s 13–1 vote changed a rule that could affect whether a conviction can be reached. It did not convict or acquit Sara Duterte. Fourteen would be enough if the court sets the eligible voting base at 20; the final calculation still requires the court’s determination.

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