A newly formed environmental task force, END E-WASTE IMPORTS, held a press briefing in Quezon City to condemn ongoing illegal shipments of hazardous electronic waste from the United States into the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The coalition includes BAN Toxics, Basel Action Network (BAN), GAIA Asia Pacific, Break Free From Plastic, Kalikasan PNE, Greenpeace Philippines, Ecowaste Coalition, Center for Environmental Concerns, and Kabataan Partylist.
Operation Can Opener Reveals E-Waste Stockpiles
The task force presented images of factories in Subic laden with e-waste exposed to the elements, traced through BAN's Operation Can Opener (OCO). GPS trackers placed in non-functional e-waste and commercial trade data identified suspected shipments. Since March 2025, BAN has sent 14 OCO alerts to the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and DENR, flagging 234 containers of suspected e-waste and one of plastic waste. However, the BoC cited a Manila Regional Trial Court ruling from April 2025 that designated Subic Bay Freeport as a separate customs territory, restricting action against the shipments.
Legal Loophole Undermines Basel Convention
BAN Toxics Campaign and Advocacy Officer Thony Dizon stated, “We vehemently condemn the RTC ruling that paves way for the entry and dumping of imported e-waste in the Philippines in violation of the Basel Convention, as it is alarming and constitutes a clear encroachment on our environmental protection obligations and national sovereignty.” Under the Basel Convention, importing hazardous waste from a non-party like the US to a party like the Philippines is strictly prohibited, unless a bilateral agreement with equivalent safeguards exists.
BAN Co-founder Jim Puckett flagged concerns over a potential US-Philippines bilateral agreement, calling it a violation of the Basel Convention and unprecedented for the US to sign such an agreement with a developing country. “This is not acceptable. Countries cannot carve out territories and say that the Basel Convention does not apply there, just to allow hazardous waste trade that does not comply with Basel rules,” Puckett said. BAN and BAN Toxics raised the issue at the 15th Basel Convention Open-ended Working Group in Geneva.
Congressional Action Sought
Kabataan Partylist Representative Atty. Renee Co criticized the Subic Bay Management Authority for pushing to designate free trade zones as Basel-Convention-Free zones, a stance revealed during a Lower House Environment Committee meeting on amending Republic Act 6969. “We vehemently oppose any move to carve out special exemptions for freeports from our environmental laws and international obligations that makes a mockery of our sovereignty to establish a sacrifice zone for the profit of foreign corporations and the waste of wealthy nations,” Co stated. She added that Kabataan Partylist will pursue a congressional inquiry to investigate the shipments and hold officials accountable.
Health and Environmental Risks
GAIA Asia Pacific Deputy Director Mayang Azurin highlighted the toxic substances in e-waste that contaminate air, water, soil, and threaten workers' health. She warned that the Philippines' involvement in the US-led Pax Silica coalition could turn the country into “a processing hub for the world's electronic waste under the guise of ‘circular economy’ and ‘critical mineral recovery.’” Kalikasan PNE National Coordinator Cathleen de Guzman linked the e-waste issue to Pax Silica, calling it “an affront to national sovereignty” and “a single pattern of U.S. imperialist intervention.”
History of Illegal Waste Shipments
Ecowaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero noted that these shipments add to high-profile cases from Japan (1999), Canada (2013-2014), Australia (2019), Hong Kong (2019), and South Korea (2020). She called for a ban on importing hazardous e-waste and ratification of the Basel Convention Ban Amendment. Other coalition members echoed calls for action, with Greenpeace's Marian Ledesma demanding an end to “waste colonialism,” and Break Free From Plastic's Miko Aliño warning that free trade zone exemptions undermine Basel rules. Von Hernandez, 2003 Goldman Prize winner, called the situation “outrageous,” and CEC's Mattie Balagat highlighted the US's long history of environmental plunder in the Philippines.
The press briefing concluded with the formal launch of the END E-WASTE IMPORTS task force, which will campaign to raise awareness, mobilize community action, and stop illegal e-waste shipments.
