Groups claim 234 containers of suspected US e-waste reached Subic

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Environmental groups on Thursday alleged that at least 234 containers of suspected electronic waste (e-waste) and one container of plastic waste from the United States (US) have reached this freeport since March, raising concerns that the country could become a dumping ground for foreign hazardous waste.

Tony Dizon, advocacy and campaign unit head of Ban Toxics, said during a press conference in Manila that the shipments were tracked through “Operation Can Opener,” an initiative of the international Basel Action Network (BAN) that traces hazardous waste shipments from the US using available trade data and GPS trackers placed on e-waste.

He said some of the GPS trackers were traced to warehouse factories inside the freeport, where aerial footage allegedly showed large quantities of e-waste being stored and processed.

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Dizon said BAN had been sending alerts to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) since March last year regarding the shipments.

However, BOC informed the group that it could not investigate the shipments because of an April 2025 ruling by a Manila Regional Trial Court.

The said case stemmed from the seizure in 2024 of shipments imported by three companies operating in Subic, namely Refit Electronic Technology, Inc., Enjoy Electronics Subic International Corp., and Jetlong Hi-Tech Electronics Philippines Inc., for allegedly violating Republic Act No. 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990, and its implementing rules.

The environmental groups disputed the court ruling, which reportedly held that this freeport operates as a separate customs authority outside the BOC jurisdiction, as it declared unconstitutional the requirement for a Pre-Shipment Importation Clearance (PSIC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

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“Ban Toxics and other environmental groups maintain that importing e-waste into the Philippines, particularly from the United States, is illegal and violates the Basel Convention, of which the Philippines is a signatory,” Dizon said in Filipino.

He also raised concerns about the alleged e-waste being processed inside the freeport, pointing out the presence of a smelting facility and residual materials visible in aerial footage.

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“How can we be sure that pollution control measures and health and safety standards for workers are adequate and properly implemented here? Where do the residual wastes end up?” he said.

In response, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it had yet to receive official information on the matter

According to SBMA Communications Department head Armie Llamas, the agency, in collaboration with other government agencies, “will never allow the entry of any form of waste materials because these pose environmental and health risks and strain government resources”.

Dizon claimed that Ban Toxics had received information that a possible bilateral agreement between the Philippines and the United States was being discussed, which could legalize the importation of waste from the US.

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“Such a move, which threatens to turn the Philippines into a dumping ground for foreign waste, must be prevented and opposed,” he said. /coa