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
EL NIÑO FARM LOSSES NEAR ₱10 BILLION AS FAMILIES FACE NEW PRESSURES
The latest farm-damage estimate puts a larger cost on the drought affecting growers across the country. Taxpayers have two separate deadline extensions to check, while Wednesday’s weaker peso changes the calculation for people buying dollars or sending money home. In Iloilo City, officials are asking households to look for mosquito breeding sites every day. Overseas, the Department of Migrant Workers has reported more assistance for Filipinos whose jobs have been disrupted in Saudi Arabia.
1
DA PUTS EL NIÑO FARM DAMAGE AT ₱9.99 BILLION
The Department of Agriculture’s latest assessment, reported on November 11, puts agricultural damage from El Niño at ₱9.99 billion. It covers 324,327 farmers and 323,419 hectares across 16 regions. The figures remain subject to validation as regional reports are checked.
Corn accounts for ₱5.63 billion of the reported damage, followed by rice at ₱3.65 billion. High-value crops, livestock and cassava make up the rest. These losses reach beyond the next harvest: a farmer who has already paid for seeds, fertilizer and labor may need another round of spending before earning from the same land.
Affected land should not all be counted as permanently lost. BusinessMirror’s report of the DA assessment says 248,129 hectares still have a chance to recover. That makes the condition of the crop and access to water important when deciding what help each farm needs.
The DA also reported ₱18.64 billion in interventions, including production inputs and financial assistance. Those program totals cover different forms of support; they should not be read as a cash payment received by each farmer in the latest damage count.
WHAT TO WATCH
The validated damage totals, which areas can still recover, and the delivery of water support, replacement inputs and assistance to affected farmers. A national spending total needs to be followed through to what reaches farms and when.
2
BIR EXTENSIONS HAVE DIFFERENT DATES AND COVERAGE
The Bureau of Internal Revenue has issued two separate deadline changes. Taxpayers need to check the form, original due date and office covering their registration before choosing which new deadline applies.
Revenue Memorandum Circular 118-2026 moves specified filing and payment or remittance deadlines to November 13 for taxpayers affected by the unavailability of the eBIRForms Offline Package. Its table includes listed October returns originally due November 10, along with specified one-time transactions and payment forms whose original deadlines fall from November 10 to 12. Some entries expressly apply to non-eFPS filers. Deadlines through other systems remain unchanged unless separately extended.
A different advisory moves statutory filing and payment deadlines falling on November 16–18 to November 19 for the NCR revenue offices and large-taxpayer divisions listed in that notice. It follows the special non-working days declared in Metro Manila for the ASEAN meetings.
The two notices do not give every taxpayer an extra week. Someone covered by the eBIRForms relief may still need to file and pay tomorrow, November 13. The original notices, rather than a general social-media headline, are the place to check the applicable form and jurisdiction.
WHAT TO WATCH
Whether your return and original deadline appear in the relevant notice, and whether your registered office is covered. Keep filing confirmations and payment records, and ask your revenue office about an unclear case before assuming the later date applies.
3
PESO CLOSES AT ₱63.25 PER DOLLAR
The peso closed Wednesday, November 11, at ₱63.25 to the US dollar, weakening by 34 centavos from Tuesday’s ₱62.91, GMA reported. Manila Standard also reported the ₱63.25 close. This is a completed trading-day figure, not a guaranteed rate at a bank, money changer or remittance counter this morning.
RCBC chief economist Michael Ricafort linked the move to higher-than-expected US inflation and expectations of further US interest-rate increases. That is his explanation of the market move. It does not tell a household what rate will be available when its next transfer is processed.
For someone buying dollars, a higher peso-per-dollar rate means spending more pesos for the same dollar amount. For someone converting dollars into pesos, it can mean a larger peso amount before fees. Whether a family actually receives more depends on the provider’s offered rate and charges, as well as how many dollars are sent.
As a simple calculation, a 34-centavo change is ₱34 for US$100 before charges. The market move does not itself guarantee that difference in a remittance payout; providers’ quotes must be compared on their own terms.
WHAT TO WATCH
The next trading close and the actual rate, total charge and recipient amount quoted for your transaction. A headline exchange rate is useful context, but the amount available to the family is the figure to budget around.
4
ILOILO CITY CALLS FOR DAILY DENGUE PREVENTION
Iloilo City is urging residents to check for mosquito breeding sites every day as dengue cases rise. City Health Office figures cited in November 11 reporting show 785 cases and eight deaths from January 4 to October 31, a 37.7% increase in cases from the comparable period last year. These are city figures, not totals for Iloilo province.
Mayor Raisa Treñas’s appeal asks households to go beyond waiting for a scheduled weekly cleanup. The city is promoting its 4 O’Clock Habit of checking places where water can collect. The health office reported clusters in 28 barangays and four hotspots, making action in affected neighborhoods especially urgent.
The World Health Organization advises removing items that hold water and covering, emptying and cleaning domestic water-storage containers regularly. Mosquitoes that spread dengue are active during the day, so protection is needed outside sleeping hours too. A cleanup drive works best when breeding sites are also checked between organized activities.
Early medical care is important when someone becomes ill. WHO advises immediate care for severe symptoms such as persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain or bleeding. The city’s case count is a reason to take prevention and illness seriously, not to diagnose every fever at home.
WHAT TO WATCH
Updated city case figures, barangay cleanup and prevention work, and access to prompt consultation. Households can start with water containers and discarded items around the home instead of waiting for the next community event.
5
DMW REPORTS AID FOR FILIPINOS AFFECTED IN SAUDI ARABIA
The Department of Migrant Workers says it has assisted more than 6,000 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia amid attacks and disruption there, according to GMA’s late November 11 report and Bombo Radyo’s November 12 account. More than 4,000 of those assisted were airport workers.
Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac described workers whose jobs had been interrupted, including ground and maintenance crews, duty-free and coffee-shop staff, concessionaire workers and flight attendants. For these workers, disruption affects earning a living as well as getting from one place to another.
The reports also say DMW signed an agreement with the International Transport Workers Federation to strengthen worker protection. The assistance count records people the agency says it has helped; it does not show that every affected worker’s employment, income or travel problem has been resolved.
Families arranging a return trip should check the specific flight with the airline and coordinate assistance with the relevant Migrant Workers Office. A description of limited airport operations in an interview should not be treated as a live schedule for every route.
WHAT TO WATCH
Updated assistance arrangements, the support available to workers still unable to resume their jobs, and confirmed flights for those seeking to return. Keep the worker’s location, employer and immediate need clear when seeking help.
BOTTOM LINE
The farm-loss estimate, tax notices, exchange rate and assistance reports all affect household decisions, but in different ways. Check which deadline covers a return, what a transfer will pay out, and what support has actually reached an affected worker or farm. In Iloilo City, the action can begin at home, with daily checks for breeding sites and prompt medical attention when needed.
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.
