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DAILY BRIEF
MCT DAILY BRIEF
Mary Jane Veloso is free and has reunited with her family. Commuters face higher jeepney fares starting Monday, while a new executive order suspends excise-tax collection on LPG and kerosene. Sara Duterte has denied a former security officer's cash-delivery allegations. Queenie is strengthening, and Carlos Yulo has won his second Asian Games gold.
1
MARY JANE VELOSO IS FREE, NOT JUST BACK IN THE PHILIPPINES
Mary Jane Veloso left the Correctional Institution for Women on September 25 after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted her an absolute pardon. The Bureau of Corrections received the release order from the Department of Justice at 5 p.m. and processed it immediately.
Marcos signed the pardon on September 24 and confirmed it the following day. The document shared by her lawyer restores her full civil and political rights. Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in April 2010 and sentenced to death after heroin was found in her luggage. She has consistently maintained that she did not know the suitcase given to her contained drugs.
Her execution was halted in 2015. Indonesia transferred her to Philippine custody in December 2024, but that transfer did not release her from prison. She remained at the CIW until the pardon and release procedures were completed.
Her parents and children arrived at the CIW shortly after midnight on September 26. They embraced before leaving with lawyers and others who had supported her.
Why it matters: The development is her actual freedom. Returning to the Philippines in 2024 and leaving prison in 2026 are separate events. Headlines should not make the earlier transfer sound like an earlier release.
WHAT TO WATCH
Follow the next official updates and supporting records.
2
HIGHER JEEPNEY FARES AND LPG TAX RELIEF AFFECT HOUSEHOLD COSTS
From September 28, the minimum fare for traditional jeepneys will rise from ₱13 to ₱14 for the first four kilometers. Each succeeding kilometer will cost ₱2, up from ₱1.80.
For modern jeepneys, the minimum will increase from ₱15 to ₱17. The succeeding-kilometer rate will rise from ₱2.20 to ₱2.40. The adjustment was approved as drivers and operators face higher fuel prices and operating expenses.
For a commuter taking two minimum-fare traditional-jeepney rides each working day, the increase adds ₱2 a day, or ₱44 over 22 working days. The equivalent additional cost for two modern-jeepney rides is ₱88. These are illustrative calculations for regular minimum fares, not estimates for every passenger. Longer journeys, multiple transfers and applicable discounts change the total.
LPG AND KEROSENE EXCISE-TAX COLLECTION
Marcos issued Executive Order No. 125 suspending the collection of excise taxes on LPG and kerosene. The order excludes LPG used as a raw material for petrochemical production or for motive power, and kerosene used as aviation fuel.
The Development Budget Coordination Committee, working with the Department of Energy, must review implementation and report to Congress within 15 days of the order's issuance and monthly thereafter. Those reports may support recommendations to continue, modify, extend or end the suspension.
Why it matters: A tax suspension and a household's actual retail savings are not the same number. The announcement does not justify promising an exact immediate reduction for every LPG cylinder. It also does not mean all taxes on all petroleum products have been removed.
WHAT TO WATCH
Check the official fare matrix for the route and vehicle you use. A minimum-fare announcement does not give the correct fare for every distance. The increases are scheduled for Monday, not automatically collectible on the date of the announcement.
Implementation notices and suppliers' price announcements. Readers need to know what changes at the point of purchase, not just what changed in the order.
3
SARA DUTERTE DENIES GRACIOSO'S CASH-DELIVERY ALLEGATIONS
Vice President Sara Duterte said on September 26 that she does not know Rodulfo Gracioso Jr. and has never received money from him. Gracioso is a former policeman who served as a security officer for former Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
The NBI is investigating Gracioso's claim that he delivered suitcases containing cash to Sara Duterte, former President Rodrigo Duterte and Representative Paolo Duterte on Velasco's instructions. The vice president said her lawyers were awaiting an official copy of the affidavit to prepare cases against Gracioso. She described his allegation as a political attack.
WHAT TO WATCH
Independent records and other evidence that can support or contradict the account. A witness statement requires examination; a denial requires examination too. The investigation is not a court judgment, and reporting should not describe the alleged deliveries as established fact.
4
QUEENIE STRENGTHENS; DOH PLACES RESPONSE TEAMS ON STANDBY
In PAGASA's 11 a.m. advisory on September 26, Queenie remained a severe tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour and gusts of 135 km/h. Its center was 575 kilometers east northeast of Itbayat, Batanes. No tropical cyclone wind signal was in effect in that bulletin.
PAGASA forecast possible intensification into a typhoon within the day and an exit from the Philippine Area of Responsibility between Sunday afternoon and evening. These are forecasts, not confirmation that either event has already happened.
The Department of Health raised a Code White Alert, placing emergency teams, health supplies and DOH hospital emergency rooms on standby. It advised people to avoid floodwater and to consult a nearby health facility or YAKAP clinic if exposure could not be avoided.
WHAT TO WATCH
Later PAGASA bulletins and local rainfall advisories. The absence of a wind signal at a particular time is not a blanket assurance that every area or journey is safe.
5
CARLOS YULO WINS HIS SECOND ASIAN GAMES GOLD
Carlos Yulo won the men's vault on September 25 for his second gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan. His 14.599 points put him ahead of Iran's Mahdi Olfati, who scored 14.533, and Hong Kong's Ka Ki Ng, who scored 14.116.
His younger brother Karl Eldrew added a bronze medal in the horizontal bar, according to BusinessMirror's report on the brothers' performances.
WHAT TO WATCH
Follow the next official updates and supporting records.
BOTTOM LINE
The next immediate household expense is Monday's fare increase. Fuel-tax relief also needs to be followed through to what families actually pay. Veloso's release is a completed event; the cash-delivery allegations remain under investigation. Keeping those distinctions clear is more useful than treating every announcement as a settled outcome.
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