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 →

LATEST COMMENTARY

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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

MCT READER SURVEY

If the Philippine presidential election were held today, who would you vote for as President and Vice President?

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October 7, 2026 · 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.

Prosecutor James Bryan Ibrahim Alih at the October 6, 2026 hearing. Photo: Senate of the Philippines / DZRH.
1

The ordinary bank-secrecy law expressly includes an impeachment exception

Republic Act No. 1405 generally protects bank deposits from examination or inquiry, but Section 2 expressly lists impeachment among its exceptions.

WHAT TO WATCH

That gives an impeachment court a legal basis to examine deposits covered by that law. The scope of a request, the records sought, and how the information is handled still matter. An exception does not make every bank document open to everyone.

2

Foreign-currency deposits have a different legal starting point

Foreign-currency deposits are protected under Republic Act No. 6426, as amended. Its secrecy provision does not contain the same express impeachment exception found in the ordinary bank-secrecy law. The Supreme Court has recognized this distinction.

WHAT TO WATCH

Other laws, including the Anti-Money Laundering Act, allow access in specified circumstances. That means the legal basis for obtaining or using a foreign-currency record must be identified. It is unsafe to assume that every dollar account can automatically be opened simply because an impeachment trial is underway.

3

A bank’s report to the AMLC carries separate confidentiality protections

Banks must submit certain transaction reports to the Anti-Money Laundering Council. The law also protects the confidentiality of those reports. A report sent to the AMLC does not become an unrestricted public document.

WHAT TO WATCH

At the October 5 hearing, the impeachment court interpreted the confidentiality protections as allowing the AMLC to carry out its lawful functions and respond to properly limited subpoenas with safeguards. The ruling concerns the use of evidence in the proceedings; it is not general permission to publish confidential bank records.

4

Allowing testimony about foreign-currency reports does not erase every protection on dollar deposits

The court also ruled on October 5 that covered and suspicious transaction reports already submitted to the AMLC do not acquire absolute confidentiality simply because they contain foreign-currency information.

WHAT TO WATCH

That distinction matters. Hearing testimony about reports the AMLC already holds is a different legal question from ordering unrestricted access to someone’s dollar accounts. The ruling should be described according to the records it addresses.

5

Access to a record and proof of an allegation are separate questions

A court can allow a document or testimony without accepting every conclusion drawn from it. The meaning of the record, whether it is complete, and how it relates to a charge remain open to challenge.

Keep three measurements separate: transactions show money moving during a period; balances show money in an account on a particular date; and a SALN declares assets, liabilities, and net worth under the applicable requirements.

WHAT TO WATCH

A transaction total cannot simply be treated as year-end wealth. Balances added across several year-ends can also count money that remained in the accounts more than once. A fair comparison needs matching dates, account ownership, and the relevant declaration.

BOTTOM LINE

Bank privacy laws contain exceptions and procedures that can allow evidence to be heard. The trial must still determine what that evidence proves.

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