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The Bureau of Customs, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority inspected nine recycling locators inside the Subic Freeport Zone on July 1 following reports of suspected e-waste shipments
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The inspection was intended to ensure compliance with environmental and customs laws and protect public health and the environment
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An inter-agency meeting along with non-government organizations will be held July 6 to discuss the inspection findings
The Bureau of Customs (BOC), Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) conducted a joint inspection of nine recycling locators inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on July 1, following reports of suspected electronic waste shipments.
The inspection was intended to ensure compliance with environmental and customs regulations while protecting public health and the environment, BOC said in a news release.
The agencies have scheduled an inter-agency meeting on July 6 to discuss and, if available, present the official findings of the DENR-EMB to other concerned government agencies and stakeholders, including several non-governmental organizations.
The inspection was undertaken in response to concerns from environmental groups, who said at least 234 containers of suspected e-waste and one of plastic waste from the United States have arrived at Subic Bay since March, raising fears the Philippines could become a dumping ground for foreign hazardous waste.
The groups stated that the shipments were monitored via “Operation Can Opener,” an effort by the Basel Action Network that tracks hazardous waste using GPS devices and public trade records.
READ: BOC calls multi-agency meeting to address Subic e-waste issue
However, the BOC noted that its enforcement actions remain constrained by a Manila Regional Trial Court ruling from April 2025, which upheld the Subic Special Economic Zone’s status as a separate customs territory. The decision made permanent an injunction allowing three private e-waste importers to continue their operations pending the case.
The case arose from the 2024 seizure of shipments imported by Refit Electronic Technology, Inc., Enjoy Electronics Subic International Corp., and Jetlong Hi-Tech Electronics Philippines Inc., which were alleged to have violated Republic Act No. 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990.
Despite the legal constraints, Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno underscored the importance of continued coordination among concerned agencies.
“While the case remains under judicial review, it is important for all concerned agencies and stakeholders to talk so we can better understand the issue, each other’s roles, and the laws and regulations that should be followed,” Nepomuceno said on June 27.
Environmental groups say importing e-waste, mainly from the US, violates the Basel Convention, to which the Philippines acceded in 1993 through Republic Act No. 6969. The country hasn’t adopted later amendments, which ban hazardous waste exports from developed to developing nations.
The BOC said customs operations at the Port of Subic continue under existing procedures while coordination with partner agencies remains ongoing to strengthen environmental protection and regulatory compliance.
