Drilon wants total ban on waste imports

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon has passed a bill seeking to ban waste imports.

Drilon filed Senate Bill No. 18 or the “Waste Importation Ban Act of 2019” which bans all waste, including recyclable materials, from being shipped to the country.

“The recent news reports about wastes of other countries being imported to our shores prompted me to file Senate Bill No. 18 which will ban the importation of waste into our country,” Drilon told reporters Monday in an interview at the Senate.

“It is not good for us to be the recipient of waste. We’re not the wastebasket of the world,” he added.

Drilon said the bill will test how present laws like Republic Act No. 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Nuclear Wastes Control Act and Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act have been implemented.

“What are the shortcomings and how do we address them in order that the flow of waste from other countries will be stopped,” Drilon added.

Under the bill, violators may face up to P15 million fines or imprisonment of up to 12 years.

The bill also mandates all imported waste must be brought back to its country of origin at the expense of the importer.

If passed, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will implement the law. (Editor: Eden Estopace)

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