MCT DAILY BRIEF

1. FIVE DEAD AS SEARCH CONTINUES AFTER FERRY FIRE OFF CORON

The passenger ferry MV June Aster caught fire at about 6:45 Wednesday evening while traveling from Manila to Coron. The fire broke out roughly 2.2 kilometers northeast of Barangay Marcilla in Coron, Palawan. The ship's manifest listed 117 passengers and 17 crew members.

In the Philippine Coast Guard's latest early-morning count, five people had died and 42 had been rescued. Authorities had not yet accounted for the other 87 people on the manifest. Coast Guard spokesperson Captain Noemi Cayabyab said the numbers could change as rescuers find more survivors and check names against the list. The rescued group included 38 passengers and four crew members. Coron officials said three people were in critical condition, 33 remained in hospital and six had been discharged.

Being unaccounted for is not the same as being confirmed missing. Passenger lists can contain errors, and some survivors may reach shore on fishing boats or through other rescuers before officials record them. The Coast Guard still needs to match every name on the manifest with a rescued passenger, a crew member, a confirmed death or a person who remains missing.

2. SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS IMELDA MARCOS' SEVEN-COUNT GRAFT CONVICTION

The Supreme Court has acquitted former First Lady Imelda Marcos of seven counts of graft. The ruling overturns the Sandiganbayan decision that convicted her in 2018 and sentenced her to six years and one month to 11 years in prison for each count. That conviction also permanently disqualified her from holding public office.

Prosecutors accused Marcos of having financial interests in private foundations in Switzerland while she held government posts. In a 50-page decision dated June 10 and released on September 9, the Supreme Court's First Division said the prosecution did not prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The Court said prosecutors did not properly prove that key Swiss documents were genuine. The witnesses who presented the records could not confirm that their contents were true. Prosecutors also failed to show that the Swiss foundations were businesses covered by the specific anti-graft provision used in the charges.

Marcos is acquitted in these seven criminal cases, and the 2018 prison sentences no longer stand. A separate Supreme Court ruling that transferred Marcos Swiss deposits to the government remains in place. That civil case decided what would happen to the deposits. The seven cases decided now asked whether Marcos was criminally guilty and required proof beyond reasonable doubt.

3. WORK AND CLASSES CHANGE TODAY IN NCR AND 13 PROVINCES

Government offices in Metro Manila and 13 provinces have been ordered to use alternative work arrangements today because of continuing rain from the enhanced southwest monsoon. Public and private schools in the same areas must also shift from their usual class setup, unless their local government gives a different instruction.

The covered provinces are La Union, Pangasinan, Benguet, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro. Government offices providing health care, disaster response and other vital services must remain open. Contract-of-service and job-order workers covered by the alternative arrangements will still be paid, following the rules that apply to them.

This is not a nationwide suspension, and it does not automatically stop work in private companies. Private employers decide whether to suspend operations, allow employees to work from home or use another arrangement. Students and workers should check the announcement from their own school, office, local government or employer before changing their plans.

Online work and classes can also become impossible when flooding cuts electricity, mobile signal or internet service. Schools and offices need another option for people who cannot connect safely or reliably.

4. HIGHER MANILA GARBAGE FEES ARE HURTING SOME SMALL BUSINESSES

Some small business owners in Manila say the city's higher garbage fees have forced them to borrow money, reduce workers' hours or dismiss employees. Manila began collecting the new rates under Ordinance No. 9151 in January.

The ordinance charges restaurants and other public eating places measuring 100 to less than 200 square meters P16,800 every quarter, or P67,200 a year. One cafe owner told Philstar that his total business-permit bill reached almost P107,000. About P60,000 came from garbage fees and interest for late payment. He took out a loan after the city closed the cafe over unpaid permit charges.

A food-stall owner in Sampaloc said her renewal costs rose from about P14,000 last year to P64,000 this year. She said she had dismissed nine of her 15 workers. Those two cases do not show what happened to every Manila business. They show how a large fee can cost jobs and threaten a small business.

City officials defended higher rates in January. They said garbage fees had not been updated since 2013 and no longer covered rising waste collection and disposal costs. The city had not given Philstar a new response about the reported effects on businesses by publication time.

5. THE PHILIPPINES HAS TEN NEW NATIONAL ARTISTS

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named ten new National Artists through Proclamation No. 1414. They are the first group to receive the country's highest official honor for Filipino artists since 2022.

The honorees are Nicanor Tiongson and Gregorio Brillantes for literature; Imelda Cajipe Endaya and Nunelucio Alvarado for visual arts; Gabriel Formoso for architecture; Rafael “Nonoy” Froilan for dance; Maria Beatriz “Patis” Tesoro for design; Armando “Bing” Lao for film and broadcast arts; Teodoro Hilado for theater; and Alfredo S. Buenaventura for music. The awards for Brillantes, Formoso, Lao and Hilado are being given after their deaths.

The title places their work among the achievements the country has chosen to honor, preserve and teach. Living National Artists also receive a cash award, a monthly pension, and medical and hospitalization support.

The announcement gives the public ten names. Their books, paintings, buildings, performances, films, designs and music must also become easier to find. The honor will last longer if schools, libraries, museums, theaters and cultural agencies help another generation experience the work.