THE Subic Bay Management Authority (SBMA) is not authorized to determine the legality of e-waste imports from the United States, according to the Environmental Task Force Against Illegal E-Waste Imports to the Philippines (END E-Waste Imports).
The group criticized a recent ruling allowing SBMA to accept non-hazardous e-waste, asserting that such decisions should fall under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), which are responsible for enforcing the Basel Convention on hazardous waste trade.
END E-Waste Imports raised concerns following reports of an impending shipment of 184 containers of suspected illegal e-waste scheduled to arrive in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone between August 6 and September 2026. This information was revealed through an alert from the Basel Action Network (BAN) on July 29.
Jam Lorenzo, Deputy Executive Director of BAN Toxics and a convener of the task force, stated, “Accepting these shipments will only exacerbate SBMA’s ongoing violations of international law.”
He criticized SBMA’s motives, suggesting that their interests align more with foreign recyclers than with environmental protection.
The task force maintains that all e-waste imports from the U.S., regardless of their classification, violate the Basel Convention, which the Philippines is a signatory to, while the U.S. is not. According to Article 4 of the treaty, illegal traffic in hazardous waste is deemed a criminal act.
Jim Puckett, founder of BAN, emphasized that under the Basel Convention’s E-Waste Amendment, all e-waste is strictly regulated and cannot be traded with non-signatory countries like the U.S. He added, “The SBMA’s actions indicate a lack of understanding of the Basel Convention’s requirements.”
In response to claims from local electronic waste recyclers seeking to continue imports, the task force referenced Republic Act No. 6969, which governs the management of hazardous waste in the Philippines.
They argue that existing laws and regulations already provide a framework for regulating such imports.
The task force is calling on the BOC and DENR-EMB to involve them in inspection activities for the incoming shipments to ensure compliance with environmental laws.
They also urged Congress to support House Resolution No. 1164, which seeks an investigation into illegal e-waste imports at SBMA.
“The SBMA has consistently ignored our laws and international obligations,” Lorenzo concluded. “How can we trust them to decide what should enter our country?”
