MCT DAILY BRIEF: July 31, 2026 · Morning

UPDATE: SARA DUTERTE’S TAX RECORDS ARE NOW WITH THE IMPEACHMENT COURT

MCT Daily previously covered the Senate impeachment court’s decision to subpoena the financial records of Vice President Sara Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and several linked companies.

The latest development involves their tax records.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. authorized the Bureau of Internal Revenue to release the confidential documents. BIR representatives then delivered the records in a sealed box to the Senate impeachment court.

The court had approved the subpoena earlier but initially stopped the records from being opened because tax information is protected by law. Presidential approval was required before the BIR could release it.

Prosecutors want to compare the tax records with the couple’s declared income, business interests, bank transactions, and Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Receiving the records does not prove that Duterte or Carpio hid wealth or committed a tax offense. The documents must still be presented, explained by a witness, challenged by the defense, and weighed by the senator-judges.

PASIG COURT TEMPORARILY HALTS THE METRO MANILA WAGE INCREASE

Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 152 issued a temporary restraining order against the implementation of Wage Order No. NCR-27.

Judge Marie Joyce Manongsong issued the order after Readycon Trading and Construction Corporation and R-II Builders Inc. filed a petition challenging the ₱85 daily minimum-wage increase for private-sector workers in Metro Manila.

The wage increase was divided into two parts. The first ₱60 took effect on July 25, raising the minimum daily rate for many non-agricultural workers to ₱755. Another ₱25 was scheduled to take effect on January 20, 2027.

The TRO temporarily blocks implementation of the wage order. It does not permanently cancel the increase or decide whether the wage board acted legally.

The full petition and court order have not been widely released. That means the exact legal arguments behind the challenge still need to be examined.

JINGGOY ESTRADA HAS STARTED HIS FORMAL BID FOR BAIL

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada filed a petition asking the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division to grant him temporary liberty while he faces a plunder charge.

Prosecutors accuse him of involvement in an alleged scheme involving ₱573.75 million in flood-control and infrastructure funds. They claim he received kickbacks tied to projects placed in the 2025 national budget.

Estrada denies the accusations. His petition says prosecutors lack strong evidence that he demanded or received kickbacks, helped place projects in the budget, or conspired with his co-accused.

The Sandiganbayan earlier rejected his request for the court to simply set a bail amount. It said Estrada first had to file a proper bail petition and undergo a hearing.

A person charged with plunder cannot demand bail as an automatic right. The court may grant it if prosecutors fail to show that the evidence of guilt is strong.

A bail ruling will not decide Estrada’s guilt or innocence. It will decide only if he may leave detention while the case continues.

MARCOS’ PROPOSED TAX RELIEF COULD COST AT LEAST ₱66 BILLION A YEAR

Marcos has asked Congress to provide tax relief to workers and small businesses.

One proposal would raise the annual income exempt from personal income tax from ₱250,000 to ₱350,000. Another would reduce taxes paid by qualified micro and small enterprises.

Finance Secretary Frederick Go estimates that the combined proposals could reduce government revenue by at least ₱66 billion every year.

The measures could leave workers with more take-home pay and give small businesses additional cash. Congress has not passed the final bills, so the number of beneficiaries and exact revenue loss may still change.

Go said the government could study excise taxes to replace some of the lost collections. Excise taxes are imposed on selected products, including fuel, alcohol, tobacco and sweetened drinks.

Workers could therefore save money on income tax but pay more for certain goods if Congress approves new or higher excise taxes and businesses pass the cost to buyers.

TEODORO WANTS A FULL ACCOUNTING OF BCDA MONEY FOR THE MILITARY

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. is demanding an audit of money earned by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority from former military properties.

Teodoro said BCDA had remitted only about ₱45 billion for Armed Forces modernization over 26 years. He argued that the military should receive a clearer accounting and threatened legal action if the records are not provided.

The ₱45 billion figure should not be compared directly with BCDA’s total revenue or its full contribution to the Armed Forces.

BCDA reported that, from 1993 to October 2023, it had contributed ₱78.34 billion to the military. Of that amount, ₱48.59 billion went to the Armed Forces modernization program and ₱29.75 billion went to the construction or replacement of military facilities.

Teodoro’s figure may refer only to modernization funds and may cover an earlier period. The figures are close enough that they do not prove BCDA withheld money.

Republic Act No. 7917 allocates 35 percent of net proceeds from the sale of certain Metro Manila military properties to several military purposes. These include modernization, new camps, military hospitals and the government arsenal.

The formula applies after expenses connected to the property sale are deducted. BCDA also earns money from leases, joint ventures and other transactions that may follow different allocation rules.