Customs bureau sets meet on e-waste imports

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said on Saturday it will convene government agencies and environmental groups over alleged electronic waste (e-waste) shipments from the United States at the Subic Bay Freeport.

The meeting comes as the case remains under judicial review and on appeal through the Office of the Solicitor General, the bureau said.

“While the case is still under judicial review, it is important to engage with all concerned agencies and stakeholders so that we can more clearly understand the issue, their respective roles, and the laws and regulations that must be followed,” Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said in a statement.

“The coordination meeting will help make sure that all actions are coordinated and carried out in compliance with the law,” he added.

Coordinating response

Invited to the meeting are the Office of the Solicitor General, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, and environmental groups, including the Basel Action Network, Sustainable Electronics Recycling International and EcoWaste Coalition.

The meeting was called amid allegations by environmental groups that at least 234 containers of suspected electronic waste and one container of plastic waste from the United States have reached the Subic Bay Freeport since March. The groups said they traced the shipments through “Operation Can Opener,” an initiative of the Basel Action Network, which claimed that some trackers led to warehouses inside the free port where the waste was being stored and processed.

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The groups have urged the government to investigate, arguing that the shipments violate Republic Act No. 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act, as well as the Philippines’ obligations under the Basel Convention.

The dispute stems from a 2025 Manila Regional Trial Court ruling involving shipments seized in 2024 from three Subic-based electronics firms.

Environmental groups are contesting the decision, which reportedly held that the free port operates as a separate customs territory outside the BOC’s jurisdiction and struck down the requirement for a DENR preshipment importation clearance within the zone.