Envi groups call for US e-waste shipments ban
Advocates and leaders gathered at AMBAI Modern Tambayan in Quezon City on 25 June, to launch the Environment Task Force against Illegal E-Waste Imports to the Philippines. Holding posters to release evidences and signify call for banning illegal importation for electronic wastes in the Philippines include (from left to right) BAN Toxics Policy Development and Research Associate Winona Garcia, Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment National Coordinator Cathleen de Guzman, Break free From Plastic Project Coordinator for Corporate Accountability Miko Aliño, BAN Toxics Advocacy and Campaign Officer Thony Dizon, Kabataan Partylist Representative Atty. Renee Co, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GIAI) Asia Pacific Deputy Director for Campaigns Mayang Azurin, EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero, Center for Environmental Concern PH Executive Director Mattie Balagat, and Central Luzon Environment Action Network official Francisco Dangla III. (PHOTOGRAPHED by Sean Magbanua for the Daily Tribune)
Several environmental groups on Thursday launched a campaign against the suspected illegal importation of electronic waste from the United States (US) into the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales, calling for an immediate ban and a thorough investigation into the shipments.
The Environment Task Force against Illegal E-Waste Imports to the Philippines (END E-WASTE IMPORTS) was launched by various organizations to collectively denounce the alleged entry of electronic waste into Subic, describing it as a threat to Philippine sovereignty, environmental laws, and the country's commitments under the Basel Convention.
The formation of the task force comes amid reports from global waste trade watchdog Basel Action Network (BAN), which tracked suspected e-waste shipments to Subic through GPS tracking devices embedded in non-functional electronic waste and commercially available trade data.
During the launch, the task force presented photographs showing large volumes of electronic waste stored in several factories in Subic, with the materials reportedly left outdoors.
“The worst waste confronting the Philippines today is a government that is yielding the rights, safety, and sovereignty of the Filipino people,” Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment National Coordinator Cathleen de Guzman said.
“The toxic electronic waste in Subic is only the visible garbage. The real waste is a rotten system that allows foreign powers such as the US to dump their hazards,” she added.
The EcoWaste Coalition also noted that the reported shipments add to a growing list of high-profile illegal waste importation cases involving countries such as Japan in 1999, Canada from 2013 to 2014, Australia and Hong Kong in 2019, and South Korea in 2020.
“Developed nations treat developing countries like the Philippines as an extension of their landfills,” EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero said.
Meanwhile, BAN revealed that it had submitted 14 Operation Can Opener (OCO) alerts to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) since March 2025, flagging 234 containers of suspected electronic waste shipped to the Philippines.
“The BOC told BAN that they are restricted from taking action against said shipments due to Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) ruling in April 2025 that upheld the Subig Bay Free port as a separate customs territory”, the End E-waste imports task force stated.
According to BAN Toxics Campaign and Advocacy Officer Thony Dizon, the ruling undermines the Philippines in violating the Basel Convention, noting it constitutes clear encroachment on environmental protection obligations and national sovereignty of the Filipino people.
The End E-waste Imports task force reiterated that the importation of hazardous waste from a non-party to the Basel Convention, such as the United States, to a party such as the Philippines is strictly prohibited under the treaty, except when a separate agreement exists between the parties that ensures equivalent environmental safeguards.
Among the group's demands include the termination of any agreement allowing the United States to legally export e-waste to the Philippines, the reversal of the Manila Regional Trial Court ruling, and the conduct of a public and transparent investigation into waste shipments entering the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).