SENATOR Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III has filed a bill seeking to ban imports of solid waste.
Senate Bill No. 2144, filed on Jan. 14, provides a penalty of 12 to 20 years of imprisonment for importing any solid waste, as defined under the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act or Republic Act No. 9003, into Philippine territory, including special economic zones.
Under the law, solid waste refers to the “discarded household and commercial waste, non-hazardous institutional and industrial waste, street sweepings, construction debris, agricultural waste, and other non-hazardous/non-toxic solid waste.”
The person or the firm responsible for the importation will also be obligated to send back the solid waste to the port of origin. If the importer cannot be identified, the carrier will be responsible for returning the solid waste to the port of origin or pay P500,000 in exemplary damages.
Foreigners involved in the importation of solid waste will face deportation and will be barred from entry to the Philippines. If corporations, associations or other entities are involved, a penalty of P500,000 will be imposed on the managing partner, president or chief executive officer.
Automatic dismissal from office and permanent disqualification will be among the penalties of government officials or employees involved in the importation of solid waste.
In his explanatory note, Mr. Pimentel cited the imported garbage that was shipped from Canada in 2013 and from South Korea last year. He also raised concerns that more foreign waste may arrive in the Philippines after China, Thailand, and Vietnam enforced policies against the entry of solid waste into their countries.
In June 2013, a shipment of 50 container vans — 18 of which contained waste, including household garbage and plastic bags — began arriving in the Philippines from Canada.
Meanwhile, some 5,100 tons of garbage containing dextrose tubes, batteries, and electronic equipment arrived at a Misamis Oriental port in July 2018 from South Korea, which its government promised to take back.
“Pursuant to our Constitutional duty and intergenerational responsibility to protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology, and considering our own trash woes, this bill proposes to ban the importation of trash even by recyclers of trash located in Special Economic Zones,” Mr. Pimentel said.
“By banning the importation of imported solid waste, we prevent the country from being a dumping site of more advanced economies,” he added. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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