Nontoxic US waste shipments cleared for entry to Subic
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has cleared waste shipments from the United States that are already en route to the Subic Bay Freeport for entry, but said it has yet to determine whether future shipments will be allowed under the Basel Convention.
Armie Llamas, head of the SBMA Communications Department, said shipments that have been assessed and determined to be nonhazardous “will be accepted for now.”
“SBMA will decide what to do with any shipments that have yet to be shipped, in relation to the Basel Convention,” Llamas told the Inquirer, adding that the move is under the guidance of SBMA chair and Administrator Eduardo Jose Aliño.
The statement came after the Basel Action Network (BAN), together with the Environmental Task Force Against Illegal E-Waste Imports to the Philippines (END E-Waste Imports), alerted Philippine authorities to another 184 shipping containers suspected of carrying electronic waste (e-waste) that are scheduled to arrive at the Subic Bay Freeport between Aug. 6 and Sept. 30.
The latest alert followed the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) decision last week to block the unloading of three containers aboard the MV Tokyo Express after BAN flagged them as suspected e-waste shipments from the United States.
BOC Port of Subic District Collector Geniefelle Lagmay ordered the containers to remain on board, citing the Philippines’ obligations under the Basel Convention and Republic Act No. 6969, or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act.
The containers later departed the Port of Subic without being unloaded.
On Monday, the SBMA said it had already prevented the unloading of another shipment from the United States that was expected to arrive last Wednesday, citing the Basel Convention.
“As a signatory to this international treaty, the Philippines, through the SBMA, is committed to upholding its provisions,” Llamas said.
She added that the agency would seek “appropriate guidance and clarification” regarding the acceptance and regulation of shipments from the United States to ensure full compliance with the treaty.
Scrutiny
The SBMA had earlier defended e-waste recycling operations inside the free port amid growing scrutiny over waste imports entering Subic.
The agency said it supports a circular economy through “urban mining,” or the recovery of valuable metals from discarded electronics and maintained that imported materials undergo inspection, laboratory testing and postentry monitoring to ensure compliance with existing regulations.
The controversy erupted after END E-Waste Imports—a coalition that includes BAN, BAN Toxics, Greenpeace Philippines, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment and other environmental groups—alleged that 234 containers of suspected e-waste and one container of plastic waste from the United States entered the free port between March 2025 and June 2026.
The coalition argued that the shipments may have violated the Basel Convention because the United States is not a party to the treaty and the imports allegedly did not undergo the required Prior Informed Consent process.
The allegations prompted the BOC to convene an inter-agency meeting with the SBMA, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor General and environmental groups to examine the legality of the shipments.
In its latest alert, the coalition urged Philippine authorities to apply the same enforcement measures imposed on the three earlier containers to the 184 newly identified shipments.
Jam Lorenzo, deputy executive director of BAN Toxics, criticized the SBMA, saying “accepting any e-waste shipment from the United States, even if it is nonhazardous, is unacceptable.”
