Gaano ka nagtitiwala na tama ang ginagawa ng Kongreso sa budget ng bayan?
This is an informal survey of people who choose to participate. It is not a scientific or nationally representative sample.
DAILY BRIEF
MCT Daily Brief
SENATORS URGE CALAMITY DECLARATION FOR EL NIÑO-HIT AREAS
Good morning. Twenty senators are urging the President to declare a state of calamity or imminent disaster in areas affected or threatened by El Niño and speed up assistance. The Senate's budget committee is also taking more time to examine proposed spending before bringing its report to the floor. In Dagupan, teachers in ten schools received laptops, and 234 newly hired School Counselor Associates took their oaths. At sea, Samuel's departure from the Philippine Area of Responsibility has not ended the warnings for northern coastal communities.
1
TWENTY SENATORS SEEK A CALAMITY DECLARATION FOR EL NIÑO-HIT AREAS
Twenty senators have signed Proposed Senate Resolution 765, asking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a state of calamity or imminent disaster in areas affected or threatened by El Niño. The request brings lawmakers from different blocs behind a call for faster relief and preparation.
They want the Department of Budget and Management and other agencies to identify and mobilize eligible funds in the 2026 budget, including the national disaster fund and agency Quick Response Funds. The proposed resolution also seeks an accounting of funds available and eligible for the response.
The senators are asking for priority assistance to affected farmers and fisherfolk as drought threatens livelihoods and food production. Their proposed resolution is a request for executive action; signing it does not itself put an area under a presidential calamity declaration or establish a new cash benefit that people can already claim.
The next question is which areas will receive funded assistance and on what schedule. Communities need to know which agency will provide support and when, particularly where lost production has already reduced household income.
WHAT TO WATCH
The President's response, any recommendation from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, and the specific places and measures covered by any resulting declaration. Watch for agencies' actual funding and delivery commitments, alongside the senators' request for an accounting.
2
EJERCITO SAYS BUDGET REPORT WILL MISS NOVEMBER 11 TARGET
Senate finance committee chair JV Ejercito said on November 9 that he would not be able to present the committee report on the proposed 2027 national budget to the plenary on November 11 as previously planned.
He said the committee was still reviewing agency proposals, particularly those of DPWH and the Department of Transportation, as well as the House version of the budget bill. Ejercito said he and Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian had brought in additional staff for the detailed review.
The checks include whether projects have complete requirements and whether the budget contains duplicate entries or incorrect geotagging. A project's listed location and supporting documents help legislators establish what they are being asked to fund. The committee report will show what those checks change in the proposed spending plan.
In his Dos Por Dos interview, Ejercito raised November 16 as a possible date for presenting the report. That date remains tentative. He still targeted November 23 for the start of plenary debates, with deliberations expected to continue through December 1. The committee has yet to confirm the revised schedule.
WHAT TO WATCH
The completed committee report, its project-level changes and the confirmed plenary schedule. The record should make it possible to see which entries were corrected, removed or retained after the review, rather than merely record that more time was taken.
3
TEACHERS IN TEN DAGUPAN SCHOOLS RECEIVE 209 LAPTOPS
Teachers in ten Dagupan schools received 209 laptops on November 9 under the Department of Education's national computerization program. Seventy-two units went to Dagupan City National High School, with the other 137 distributed among nine schools.
The Schools Division Office valued the equipment at more than ₱8.6 million. Training through GuroXL will follow to help teachers use the devices for instruction.
The national teacher allocation is much larger: 231,725 laptops, comprising 169,008 MacBook Neo units and 62,717 Windows devices. A separate 3,646 MacBooks are intended for administrative personnel. The national figures describe the wider allocation, of which the Dagupan delivery is one part.
DepEd has set March 2027 as the suppliers' delivery deadline. For schools, the useful follow-through is a working device assigned to a teacher, the training to use it and support when it needs repair. The next deliveries will show how quickly the program reaches more schools.
WHAT TO WATCH
The next verified delivery totals and recipient schools, the GuroXL training schedule, and how warranty and repair support will work for recipients. Schools will also need clear contacts for reporting faulty equipment and following up on repairs.
4
234 SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATES TAKE THEIR OATHS IN DAGUPAN
Two hundred thirty-four newly hired School Counselor Associates took their oaths in Dagupan on November 9. The government presented the appointments as part of its effort to strengthen student guidance, mental-health support and school safety.
The hiring adds personnel to a system with distinct professional roles. Under Republic Act 12080, a School Counselor must be a registered guidance counselor or registered psychologist. The associate is a separate position that assists the counselor and has its own educational qualifications.
The law also specifies what happens when a public-school Care Center has only associates: it must facilitate referral to the Schools Division Counselor for counseling. Its other functions include monitoring learners' needs, supporting parents and connecting students with appropriate services. For a family seeking help, the person who first receives the concern may need to arrange a referral to another professional.
The government has yet to provide, in this announcement, a school-by-school assignment list or the dates when each appointee will begin serving learners. Those details will determine where the additional support becomes available.
WHAT TO WATCH
The appointees' school assignments, start dates and referral arrangements. Schools should be able to tell learners and parents whom to approach, how to request a private conversation and where counseling is available when an associate is the first point of contact.
5
SAMUEL LEAVES PAR, BUT DANGEROUS SEAS CONTINUE
Typhoon Cempaka, formerly Samuel, remained outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility early this morning. PAGASA's 4 a.m. forecast placed it 1,590 kilometers east northeast of Northern Luzon as of 3 a.m. The northeast monsoon, or amihan, was affecting Luzon, while easterlies were affecting the rest of the country.
The 5 a.m. gale warning covered Batanes, the Babuyan Islands, the listed northern and eastern coasts of mainland Cagayan, and northern Ilocos Norte. It forecast rough to very rough seas with waves of 2.8 to 5 meters in those areas. The warning also covered specified western Ilocos Norte coasts and Ilocos Sur, with waves of 2.8 to 4.5 meters. Its coverage extends to sea areas within 30 nautical miles of the named coasts.
PAGASA advised small seacraft, including motorbancas of any type or tonnage, to remain in port or seek safe harbor. For larger vessels, it stressed the need for experience, proper equipment and precautions. These warnings concern specific coastal areas, not all Philippine waters.
The morning forecast also warned of possible flash floods or landslides from amihan rains in Aurora, Quezon and Camarines Norte. Samuel's exit therefore does not settle whether a fishing trip, crossing or journey along a rain-affected route is safe. Check the warning for the actual area, local port restrictions and the operator's confirmed sailing status.
WHAT TO WATCH
PAGASA's next gale warning, scheduled for 5 p.m. unless an intermediate warning is issued, and any Coast Guard or port suspension affecting the intended route. Check the latest local rain advisories as well as the sea forecast.
BOTTOM LINE
The calamity request and budget delay put two questions before government: how quickly aid can reach affected communities, and how thoroughly next year's projects will be checked before funding is approved. Dagupan's deliveries and hiring can now be followed through to training, working equipment and services students can use. Along the northern coasts, the immediate decision is more urgent: a storm's exit does not make a rough sea safe for a fishing boat or passenger trip.
Google’s Preferred Sources feature lets you choose publications you want Google to prioritize for you. Select “Add to Preferred Sources” to make MCT easier to find in Top Stories and other eligible Google results. This does not subscribe you to email.
Morning Coffee Thoughts is reader-supported. Contributions help pay for research tools, hosting, and the work required to verify and explain each development.
Monthly PayPal subscription — choose your support amount.
