Malacañang ready to defend anti-loitering drive before Congress, court

PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON Harry L. Roque, Jr. on Thursday said the administration welcomes the proposed Congressional investigations on President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s anti-loitering campaign. Mr. Roque said the planned inquiries in both the Senate and House of Representatives would even be helpful, especially if these lead to the drafting of laws that would improve the implementation of the campaign that largely uses local ordinances as basis. — Arjay L. Balinbin Aguirre files libel complaint vs PDI, Tulfo FORMER JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II has filed a libel complaint against columnist Ramon T. Tulfo, Jr., and several editors and officers of newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) and its sister publication, the tabloid Bandera. Mr. Aguirre is seeking damages of P1 as “a symbolic amount in principle to end the proliferation of fake news and its appurtenant lies and calumny against anyone in this country.” —

ACB lauds efforts to cut plastic waste

THE ASSOCIATION of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has lauded the initiatives of member states to cut plastic wastes in markets and restaurants, citing Los Baños in the Philippines as one example. ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim said the use of plastic bags has been regulated and plastic straws have been banned in the town located about 68 kilometers south of the capital. —