FIVE THINGS TO KNOW…

Short explainers published throughout the day.

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-2026-007

MCT READER SURVEY

House prosecutors are considering whether to stop presenting evidence on the bribery article against Vice President Sara Duterte and move directly to the unexplained-wealth charge. Do you agree with that strategy?Pinag-iisipan ng mga prosekutor ng Kamara kung ititigil ang paghaharap ng ebidensiya sa artikulo tungkol sa panunuhol at tututok sa kasong hindi maipaliwanag na yaman laban kay Bise Presidente Sara Duterte. Sang-ayon ka ba sa estratehiyang ito?

Some prosecutors want to move directly to the unexplained-wealth charge; others want to proceed with all four articles. No final decision had been announced when this survey opened. The question is about prosecution strategy, not guilt.

Background: The Philippine Star and Daily Tribune.

This is an informal survey of verified MCT readers who choose to participate. It is not nationally representative.

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August 7, 2026 · 10:55 AM8-minute read

FIVE THINGS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES’ DEFENSE PACTS WITH CANADA AND NEW ZEALAND

What the visiting-forces agreements regulate, why the Senate must concur, and what they do not require the three countries to do.

The Senate is preparing to act on separate agreements covering Canadian and New Zealand military personnel who temporarily enter the Philippines for approved activities.

These are Status of Visiting Forces Agreements, often shortened to SOVFAs. They provide legal rules for visits, exercises, training and other mutually approved defense cooperation.

They are important, but their name can create the wrong impression. A visiting-forces agreement is not the same as a mutual-defense treaty. It does not by itself create permanent foreign bases or require Canada or New Zealand to fight for the Philippines.

Here are five things to understand.

1

THE AGREEMENTS SET RULES FOR TEMPORARY MILITARY VISITS

Military personnel operating in another country raise practical legal questions. Officials need rules covering entry and departure, identification, uniforms, weapons, vehicles, taxes, discipline and claims arising from an activity.

A SOVFA supplies that framework before personnel arrive for an approved exercise or program. Without it, the countries would have to resolve many of those questions separately for each visit.

The agreements do not give Canadian or New Zealand forces a general right to enter the Philippines whenever they choose. Activities still have to be accepted by the participating governments and carried out under the agreement and Philippine law.

The word visiting matters. These instruments govern temporary presence. They should not be described as leases of Philippine territory or authority to establish permanent foreign bases.

WHAT TO WATCH

Read the final Senate resolutions and treaty text for the definitions of visiting personnel, approved activities and the Philippine authorities responsible for implementation.

2

THE SENATE HAS A CONSTITUTIONAL ROLE BEFORE THE PACTS CAN BIND THE PHILIPPINES

The executive branch negotiates and signs international agreements, but Article VII, Section 21 of the Constitution says a treaty or international agreement is not valid and effective unless at least two-thirds of all senators concur.

The agreements with Canada and New Zealand were therefore transmitted to the Senate for review. Senators can examine the text, hear from executive officials and decide whether to concur.

Senate concurrence is not a ceremonial endorsement. It is the constitutional step that gives the chamber responsibility for the legal commitments the Philippines accepts.

A Senate vote also does not rewrite every detail of the agreements. If senators believe a provision is unacceptable, the legal and diplomatic response may require a reservation, clarification or further action involving the other country.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch the vote count and the exact wording of any Senate resolutions, reservations or interpretive statements rather than relying only on announcements that the pacts were approved.

3

CRIMINAL JURISDICTION IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS

When a visiting service member is accused of an offense, both the sending country and the Philippines may have an interest in the case. A visiting-forces agreement sets rules for deciding which country has the primary right to prosecute in different circumstances.

The answer can depend on whether the alleged conduct arose from official duty, whether the offense was directed only against the sending country, and where the act occurred.

Primary jurisdiction is not the same as immunity from all law. The agreements create procedures for prosecution, custody, cooperation and requests to waive priority; they do not erase criminal responsibility.

The exact text matters. Summaries cannot settle who would hold an accused person during a particular case or which government would prosecute first. Those questions must be answered from the applicable provision and the facts of the incident.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch for the government’s public explanation of jurisdiction, custody, official-duty claims and waiver requests, especially how victims can participate and obtain information.

4

THE PACTS MAKE MORE TRAINING POSSIBLE, BUT THEY DO NOT CREATE AUTOMATIC WAR OBLIGATIONS

A stable legal framework makes it easier to organize recurring exercises, professional exchanges, humanitarian-assistance training and other defense activities with Canada and New Zealand.

That can improve familiarity among armed forces and reduce administrative uncertainty. The actual benefit, however, depends on the activities later approved, the people trained and the capabilities transferred.

A SOVFA is not a promise that another country will automatically defend the Philippines after an attack. Mutual-defense obligations come from a different kind of treaty and must be found in the language of that treaty.

It is therefore accurate to call these defense-cooperation agreements. It is misleading to present them as two new automatic security guarantees.

WHAT TO WATCH

Look for specific exercise plans, participating units, costs and training goals. Those details will show what cooperation the agreements produce in practice.

5

STRATEGIC VALUE DOES NOT REMOVE THE NEED FOR OVERSIGHT

The Philippines is expanding defense cooperation while facing maritime pressure and wider regional security risks. Agreements with additional partners can give the country more training options and reduce dependence on a single relationship.

That context does not prove that every activity under a SOVFA will strengthen Philippine security. Each exercise should still have a defined purpose, lawful authority, safety plan and measurable benefit.

Officials must also be accountable for incidents involving local communities, environmental damage, unpaid claims or alleged crimes. A legal framework is useful only if its procedures are followed and the public can see that Philippine rights are protected.

The best test is not the number of foreign uniforms that visit. It is whether the cooperation builds Philippine capability while preserving Philippine consent, jurisdiction and sovereignty.

WHAT TO WATCH

Watch implementation after concurrence: which activities are approved, whether incidents are reported transparently, how claims are resolved and what lasting capability the Philippines receives.

BOTTOM LINE

The agreements with Canada and New Zealand establish legal ground rules for temporary, mutually approved military visits. They can make training and other defense cooperation easier to organize, while setting procedures for jurisdiction, custody, entry and related responsibilities. They do not by themselves establish permanent foreign bases or create automatic promises that Canada or New Zealand will defend the Philippines in war. Senate concurrence is therefore the beginning of accountability, not the end. The real measure will be how the agreements are implemented and whether each activity produces a clear Philippine benefit without weakening Philippine law or control.

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