Some pro-Duterte vloggers who were invited by the House of Representatives to shed light on their dissemination of alleged fake news were cited in contempt for their refusal to attend the hearing. The vloggers, led by a certain Ernesto S. Abines Jr., ran to the Supreme Court to question the legality of the contempt order, but the Highest Court of the land dismissed the petition, saying that inviting the vloggers to a House hearing “does not violate their freedom of speech, because it is not the same as restricting their right to express opinions.” This ruling comes as the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 7 claimed that there were massive tree-cuttings in the development of a high-end mountain-side subdivision in Cebu City, which residents claim caused a flood that submerged their community. Similarly, in Davao City, several high-end residential enclaves are being developed in the hillsides, raising concerns about the potential destruction of the environment and the lack of on-site monitoring by agencies such as the DENR XI, the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of Davao City, the City Planning Office, and the Davao City Council. The development activities have already resulted in the removal of trees, and it is uncertain if any of the agencies concerned have managed to count the number of trees cut or estimate the volume of soil that will be eroded every time rain hits the area, which could lead to devastating consequences for the communities below.
