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LATEST COMMENTARY

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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

7:23 AM5-minute read

ABOUT LINO CAYETANO AND THE CHANGE AT THE PCO

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on October 11 that Lino Cayetano would replace Dave Gomez at the Presidential Communications Office. He said Gomez had been bypassed by the Commission on Appointments and that the change would be formalized when they returned from Singapore.

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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-2026-013

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October 13, 2026 · 1:21 PM5-minute read

ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE HOUSE PASSES THE BUDGET

What House approval establishes, why the allocations can still change, and how readers can follow the services that matter to them.

MCT Five Things cover illustrating the budget process with an empty legislative hall and paperwork. AI-generated illustrative background; exact supplied MCT logo.

The House has approved the proposed ₱7.2-trillion budget for 2027 on third and final reading. It is a major step, but it is easy to hear “budget approved” and assume that every amount is settled and ready to spend.

For readers trying to follow where public money will go, here are five things worth keeping separate.

1

HOUSE APPROVAL IS ONE STAGE, NOT THE END OF THE PROCESS

The Constitution requires appropriation bills to originate in the House, while allowing the Senate to propose or agree to amendments. A bill also goes to the President before becoming law, subject to the Constitution’s approval and veto provisions.

The current vote therefore tells us what the House approved. It does not establish the final outcome of the Senate’s deliberations or presidential action. When an announcement describes a particular agency’s allocation, check which version of the spending plan it refers to.

WHAT TO WATCH

The dated text of the House-approved bill and the next Senate action. Keep the proposed General Appropriations Bill separate from an enacted General Appropriations Act.

2

THE SAME HEADLINE TOTAL CAN STILL LEAVE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT PRIORITIES

The House’s announcement describes about ₱116 billion in amendments to the proposed budget. That statement should lead readers to the affected programs and the source of the changes. It should not be read as permission to add ₱116 billion to the ₱7.2-trillion headline figure.

Suppose, as a purely illustrative example, a spending plan remains ₱100 while ₱10 is moved from one purpose to another. The total is unchanged, but the people served by each purpose may experience a different result.

The useful comparison is therefore at the program level: what changed, what was reduced, what was increased, and what the adjustment is intended to accomplish. The announcement alone does not supply a complete comparison of every amendment.

WHAT TO WATCH

A reconciliation of the proposed allocations and the House changes. Keep examples separate from actual figures in the bill.

3

A LARGE VOTE DOES NOT REMOVE THE NEED TO EXAMINE THE OBJECTIONS

The Philippine Star reports 281 votes in favor, 13 against and one abstention. It also reports objections concerning political priorities and health funding. Those objections should be attributed to the lawmakers who made them, not presented as findings already established about the whole budget.

The same care applies to claims that the bill is people-centered or transparent. Those are claims to examine through the text and its supporting records.

Readers do not have to choose between accepting every criticism and dismissing all criticism because the majority was large. Ask which allocation is being challenged, what the alternative is, and what evidence supports the objection.

WHAT TO WATCH

Specific amendments and explanations from both supporters and critics. A disagreement becomes easier to evaluate when it identifies a program, an amount and a proposed remedy.

4

PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL CAN STILL CHANGE PARTICULAR ITEMS

The Constitution gives the President the power to veto particular items in an appropriation bill without affecting items to which the President does not object. That is another reason to keep the House version separate from the eventual law and any veto message.

For a reader following one project or service, a headline saying that the budget was signed is only the starting point. The relevant question is whether the item being followed appears in the final law and whether presidential action affects it.

WHAT TO WATCH

The enacted text and any item-veto explanation. Use the actual documents rather than assuming that an earlier announcement survived unchanged.

5

FOLLOW THE SERVICE YOU NEED, NOT ONLY THE NATIONAL TOTAL

A parent may be watching classroom construction. A patient may be watching access to a hospital service. A farmer may be watching irrigation or support for a cooperative. Each needs a more specific question than whether ₱7.2 trillion sounds large enough.

Start with the proposed program, the agency responsible and the place or group it is supposed to serve. Then follow changes to that item as the bill progresses. Once implementation begins, ask what was delivered and whether the intended users can actually access it.

That is a practical reading method, not a claim that any particular project is already funded or completed. It gives ordinary readers a way to follow public spending without having to understand every line of the national budget at once.

WHAT TO WATCH

An identifiable program, a clear implementing agency, the final appropriation and evidence of delivery. A press release should help you locate those records, not replace them.

BOTTOM LINE

The House vote moves the 2027 budget forward. It does not settle every allocation or prove that every promised service will reach the public. Keep the versions straight, examine the changes, read the objections fairly, and follow the item that matters to your family or community. That makes the budget a record people can question, rather than a very large number they can only applaud or resent.

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