THE House Committee on Ways and Means approved a bill calling for a P20 per kilogram tax on single-use plastic shopping bags Tuesday, a measure intended to raise P4.8 billion to fund the enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

THE fisheries industry continued its lobbying for the establishment of a Department of Fisheries, saying a dedicated Cabinet-level office will better promote the sector’s development.

THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) raised legal questions on the Energy department’s draft circular on net-metering, including inconsistencies with existing laws, while pointing out that the regulator is the entity with the mandate to issue rules and regulations.

DAMAGE TO agriculture from Typhoon Tisoy (international name: Kammuri, was estimated at P3.67 billion, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

JUSTICE Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said the government is forming a team to draft revised water concession contracts, which will exclude terms the President considers onerous, adding that the new concession agreement will be ready before the year ends.

THE restructuring of the coconut industry should focus on extracting value-added from all parts of the tree, while farmers should be allowed to tap whatever market opportunities present themselves, including selling trees for lumber, an expert said.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte said that he wants to speak to the two water companies serving Metro Manila and the government lawyers who agreed to the allegedly disadvantageous concession agreements.

THE House Committee on Ways and Means recommended suspending the implementation of the Bureau of Customs’ (BoC) National Value Verification System (NVVS) to determine whether it violates World Trade Organization (WTO) rules on customs valuation.

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) said they support bill that will establish a Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Stock Exchange, but noted that there are possible overlaps with existing regulations.

NLEX Corp. submitted a proposal Monday to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to extend the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) Harbor Link Segment 10 to Anda Circle, which is between Intramuros and Manila South Harbor.

TOYOTA MOTORS Philippines Corp. (TMP) said it is “worried” about the possible imposition of safeguard measures on imported cars, noting the possible impact on sales volumes, but added it still plans to proceed with a major investment pending more clarity on the government’s intentions.

CONGRESS is still studying how to regulate the vaping industry by law despite a “de facto” ban on the products due to import restrictions, a key legislator said.