Environmental Laws

Philippine
Environmental Laws
- Salient features
National Service Training Program
Engr. Jackson B. de Chavez
College of Engineering NSTP Coordinator
Session Objectives:
After this session, the learner should be able to know the different Philippine
Environmental Laws, particularly:
1. REPUBLIC ACT No. 6969
6. PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 1586
7. CHEd Memorandum Order No. 33, series 2009
8. Camarines Norte Status Report on the Millenium Development Goals
(updated Oct 27, 2010) Goal 7– Ensure Environmental Stability
REPUBLIC ACT
No. 6969
 AN ACT TO CONTROL TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND
HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR WASTES, PROVIDING
PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
 AN ACT TO CONTROL TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND
HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR WASTES, PROVIDING
PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
REPUBLIC ACT
No. 6969
Section 3. Scope. - This Act shall cover the
importation, manufacture, processing, handling,
storage, transportation, sale, distribution, use and
disposal of all unregulated chemical substances and
mixtures in the Philippines, including the entry even
in transit, as well as the keeping or storage and
disposal of hazardous and nuclear wastes into the
country for whatever purposes.
REPUBLIC ACT
No. 6969
Hazardous substances are substances which present either:
1) short-term acute hazards such as acute toxicity by ingestion,
inhalation or skin absorption, corrosivity or other skin or eye
contact hazard or the risk of fire or explosion; or
2) long-term environmental hazards, including chronic toxicity
upon repeated exposure, carcinogenicity (which may in some
cases result from acute exposure but with a long latent period,
resistance to detoxification process such as biodegradation, the
potential to pollute underground or surface waters, or
aesthetically objectionable properties such as offensive odors.
REPUBLIC ACT
No. 6969
Hazardous wastes are hereby defined as substances that are
without any safe commercial, industrial, agricultural or economic
usage and are shipped, transported or brought from the country
of origin for dumping or disposal into or in transit through any
part of the territory of the Philippines.
Hazardous wastes shall also refer to by-products, side-products,
process residues, spent reaction media, contaminated plant or
equipment or other substances from manufacturing operations,
and as consumer discards of manufactured products.
REPUBLIC ACT
No. 6969
Nuclear wastes are hazardous wastes made
radioactive by exposure to the radiation
incidental to the production or utilization of
nuclear fuels but does not include nuclear fuel,
or radioisotopes which have reached the final
stage of fabrication so as to be usable for any
scientific, medical, agricultural, commercial, or
industrial purpose.
REPUBLIC ACT
No. 6969
Section 13. Prohibited Acts. - The following acts and omissions
shall be considered unlawful:
a) Knowingly use in chemical substance or mixture which is
imported, manufactured, processed or distributed in violation of
this Act or implementing rules and regulations or orders;
b) Failure or refusal to submit reports, notices or on the
information, access to records as required by this Act, or permit
inspection of establishment where chemicals are manufactured,
processed, stored or otherwise held;
REPUBLIC ACT
No. 6969
Section 13. Prohibited Acts. - The following acts
and omissions shall be considered unlawful:
c) Failure or refusal to comply with the pre-manufacture and pre-
importation requirements; and
d) Cause, aid or facilitate, directly or indirectly, in the storage,
importation or bringing into Philippine territory, including its
maritime economic zones, even in transit, either by means of
land, air or sea transportation or otherwise keeping in storage any
amount of hazardous and nuclear wastes in any part of the
Philippines.
REPUBLIC ACT No. 8749
 AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A

COMPREHENSIVE AIR POLLUTION
CONTROL POLICY AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
 This Act shall be known as the "Philippine
Clean Air Act of 1999."
Section 4. Recognition of Rights. - Pursuant to the above-declared principles,
the following rights of citizens are hereby sought to be recognized and the
State shall seek to guarantee their enjoyment:
a) The right to breathe clean air;
b) The right to utilize and enjoy all natural resources according to the principle
of sustainable development;
c) The right to participate in the formulation, planning, implementation and
monitoring of environmental policies and programs and in the decision making
process;
d) The right to participate in the decision-making process concerning
development policies, plans and programs projects or activities that may have
adverse impact on the environment and public health;
Section 4. Recognition of Rights. - Pursuant to the above-declared principles,
the following rights of citizens are hereby sought to be recognized and the State
shall seek to guarantee their enjoyment:
e) The right to be informed of the nature and extent of the potential hazard of any
activity, undertaking or project and to be served timely notice of any significant rise in the
level of pollution and the accidental or deliberate release into the atmosphere of harmful
or hazardous substances;
f) The right of access to public records which a citizen may need to exercise his or her
rights effectively under this Act;
g) The right to bring action in court or quasi- judicial bodies to enjoin all activities in
violation of environmental laws and regulations, to compel the rehabilitation and clean-up
of affected area, and to seek the imposition of penal sanctions against violators of
environmental laws; and
h) The right to bring action in court for compensation of personal damages resulting from
the adverse environmental and public health impact of a project or activity.
"Air pollutant" means any matter found in the atmosphere other than
oxygen, nitrogen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and the inert gases in their
natural or normal concentrations, that is detrimental to health or the
environment, which includes but not limited to smoke, dust, soot, cinders,
fly ash, solid particles of any kind, gases, fumes, chemical mists, steam and
radio-active substances;
"Air pollution" means any alteration of the physical, chemical and

biological properties of the atmospheric air, or any discharge thereto of any
liquid, gaseous or solid substances that will or is likely to create or to
render the air resources of the country harmful, detrimental, or injurious
to public health, safety or welfare or which will adversely affect their
utilization for domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, recreational,
or other legitimate purposes;
"Ambient air quality guideline values" mean the concentration of
air over specified periods classified as short-term and long-term
which are intended to serve as goals or objectives for the protection
of health and/or public welfare. These values shall be used for air
quality management purposes such as determining time trends,
evaluating stages of deterioration or enhancement of the air
quality, and in general, used as basis for taking positive action in
preventing, controlling, or abating air pollution;
d) "Ambient air quality" means the general amount of pollution
present in a broad area; and refers to the atmosphere's average
purity as distinguished from discharge measurements taken at the
source of pollution;
a Maximum limits represented by ninety-eight percentile (98%) values not to be exceeded more than once a year.
b Arithmetic mean.
c SO2 and Suspended Particulate Matter are sampled once every six days when using the manual methods. A minimum of twelve sampling days per quarter or forty-eight sampling days each
year is required for these methods. Daily sampling may be done in the future once continuous analyzers are procured and become available.
d Limits for Total Suspended Particulate Matter with mass median diameter less than 25-50 μm.
e Annual Geometric Mean.
f Provisional limits for Suspended Particulate Matter with mass median diameter less than 10 microns and below until sufficient monitoring data are gathered to base a proper guideline.
g Evaluation of this guideline is carried out for 24-hour averaging time and averaged over three moving calendar months. The monitored average value for any three months shall not exceed the
guideline value.
Section 20. Ban on Incineration. - Incineration, hereby defined
as the burning of municipal, bio-medical and hazardous wastes,
which process emits poisonous and toxic fumes, is hereby
prohibited: Provided, however, That the prohibition shall not apply
to traditional small-scale method of community/ neighbourhood
sanitation "siga", traditional, agricultural, cultural, health, and food
preparation and crematoria: Provided, further, That existing
incinerators dealing with bio-medical wastes shall be phased out
within three (3) years after the effectivity of this Act: Provided,
finally, That in the interim, such units shall be limited to the
burning of pathological and infectious wastes, and subject to
close monitoring by the Department.
Section 20. Ban on Incineration. - Incineration, hereby defined
as the burning of municipal, bio-medical and hazardous
wastes, which process emits poisonous and toxic fumes, is
hereby prohibited: Provided, however, That the prohibition
shall not apply to traditional small-scale method of
community/ neighbourhood sanitation "siga", traditional,
agricultural, cultural, health, and food preparation and
crematoria: Provided, further, That existing incinerators
dealing with bio-medical wastes shall be phased out within
three (3) years after the effectivity of this Act: Provided,
finally, That in the interim, such units shall be limited to the
burning of pathological and infectious wastes, and subject to
close monitoring by the Department.
Section 20. Ban on Incineration. –
Local government units are hereby mandated to promote,
encourage and implement in their respective jurisdiction a
comprehensive ecological waste management that includes
waste segregation, recycling and composting.
With due concern on the effects of climate change, the
Department shall promote the use of state-of-the-art,
environmentally-sound and safe non-burn technologies for
the handling, treatment, thermal destruction, utilization,
and disposal of sorted, unrecycled, uncomposted municipal,
bio-medical and hazardous wastes.
Section 45. Violation of Standards for Stationary
Sources. - For actual exceedance of any pollution or
air quality standards under this Act or its rules and
regulations, the Department, through the Pollution
Adjudication Board (PAB), shall impose a fine of not
more than One hundred thousand pesos
(Php100,000.00) for every day of violation against
the owner or operator of a stationary source until
such time that the standards have been complied
with.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9003
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR AN ECOLOGICAL SOLID
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, CREATING THE
NECESSARY INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS AND
INCENTIVES, DECLARING CERTAIN ACTS PROHIBITED
AND PROVIDING PENALTIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
This Act shall be known as the “Ecological Solid
Waste Management Act of 2000”.
Section 2. Declaration of Policies.
(d) Ensure the proper segregation, collection, transport,
storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through the
formulation and adoption of the best environmental
practices in ecological waste management excluding
incineration;
(j) Strengthen the integration of ecological solid waste
management and resource conservation and recovery topics
into the academic curricula of formal and non-formal
education in order to promote environmental awareness and
action among the citizenry.
Section 48. Prohibited Acts. – The following acts are prohibited:
(1) Littering, throwing, dumping of waste matters in public places,

such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks, and establishment,
or causing or permitting the same;
(2) Undertaking activities or operating, collecting or transporting
equipment in violation of sanitation operation and other requirements
or permits set forth in or established pursuant to this Act;
(3) The open burning of solid waste;
(4) Causing or permitting the collection of non-segregated or unsorted
waste;
(5) Squatting in open dumps and landfills;
(6) Open dumping, burying
(1) Littering, throwing, dumping of waste matters in public places,
such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks, and establishment,
or causing or permitting the same;
(2) Undertaking activities or operating, collecting or transporting
equipment in violation of sanitation operation and other requirements
or permits set forth in or established pursuant to this Act;
(3) The open burning of solid waste;
(4) Causing or permitting the collection of non-segregated or unsorted
waste;
(5) Squatting in open dumps and landfills;
(6) Open dumping, burying of biodegradable or non-biodegradable
materials in flood-prone areas;
(7) Unauthorized removal of recyclable material intended for
collection by authorized persons;
(8) The mixing of source-separated recyclable material with other
solid waste in any vehicle, box, container or receptacle used in solid
waste collection or disposal;
(9) Establishment or operation of open dumps as enjoined in this Act,
or closure of said dumps in violation of Sec. 37;
(10) The manufacture, distribution or use of non-environmentally
acceptable packaging materials;
(11) Importation of consumer products packaged in non-
environmentally acceptable materials;
(12) Importation of toxic wastes misrepresented as “recyclable” or “with
recyclable content”;
(13) Transport and dumping in bulk of collected domestic, industrial,
commercial and institutional wastes in areas other than centers of facilities
prescribed under this Act;
(14) Site preparation, construction, expansion or operation of waste
management facilities without an Environmental Compliance Certificate
required pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 1586 and this Act and not
conforming with the land use plan of the LGU;
(15) The construction of any establishment within two hundred (200) meters
from open dumps or controlled dumps or sanitary landfills; and
(16) The construction or operation of landfills or any waste disposal facility
on any aquifer, groundwater reservoir or watershed area and or any portions
thereof;
Section 56. Environmental Education in the Formal and
Non-formal Sectors. - The national government, through the
DECS and in coordination with concerned government
agencies, NGOs and private institutions, shall strengthen the
integration of environmental concerns in school curricula at
all levels, with particular emphasis on the theory and
practice of waste management principles like waste
minimization, specifically resource conservation and
recovery, segregation at source, reduction, recycling, re-use
and composting, in order to promote environmental
awareness and action among the citizenry.
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A
COMPREHENSIVE WATER QUALITY
MANAGEMENT AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
This Act shall be known as the
“Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.”
SEC. 27. Prohibited Acts. - The following acts are hereby prohibited:
a) Discharging, depositing or causing to be deposited material of any
kind directly or indirectly into the water bodies or along the margins of
any surface water, where, the same shall be liable to be washed into
such surface water, either by tide action or by storm, floods or
otherwise, which could cause water pollution or impede natural flow in
the water body;
b) Discharging, injecting or allowing to seep into the soil or sub-soil any
substance in any form that would pollute groundwater. In the case of
geothermal projects, and subject to the approval of the Department,
regulated discharge for short-term activities (e.g. well testing, flushing,
commissioning, venting) and deep re-injection of geothermal liquids
may be allowed: Provided, That safety measures are adopted to prevent
the contamination of the groundwater;
d) Disposal of potentially infectious medical waste into sea water by
vessels unless the health or safety of individuals on board the vessel is
threatened by a great and imminent peril;
e) Unauthorized transport or dumping into sea waters of sewage sludge
or solid waste as defined under Republic Act No. 9003;
f) Transport, dumping or discharge of prohibited chemicals, substances
or pollutants listed under Republic Act No. 6969;
g) Operate facilities that discharge or allow to seep, wilfully or through
gross negligence, prohibited chemicals, substances or pollutants listed
under R. A. No. 6969, into water bodies or wherein the same shall be
liable to be washed into such surface, ground, coastal, and marine
water;
h) Undertaking activities or development and expansion of projects, or
operating wastewater/ sewerage facilities in violation of Presidential
Decree No. 1586 and its implementing rules and regulations;
i) Discharging regulated water pollutants without the valid required discharge permit
pursuant to this Act or after the permit was revoked for any violation of any condition
therein;
j) Noncompliance of the LGU with the Water Quality Framework and Management Area
Action Plan. In such a case, sanctions shall be imposed on the local government
officials concerned;
k) Refusal to allow entry, inspection and monitoring by the Department in accordance
with this Act;
l) Refusal to allow access by the Department to relevant reports and records in
accordance with this Act;
m) Refusal or failure to submit reports whenever required by the Department in
accordance with this Act;
n) Refusal or failure to designate pollution control officers whenever required by the
Department in accordance with this Act; and
o) Directly using booster pumps in the distribution system or tampering with the water
supply in such a way as to alter or impair the water quality.
AN ACT TO PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL

AWARENESS THROUGH ENVlR0NMENTAL
EDUCATION AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
This Act shall be known as the
"Environmental Awareness and
Education Act of 2008".
SEC. 3. Scope of Environmental Education. – The DepEd, CHED, TESDA, DSWD, in
coordination with DENR, DOST) and other relevant agencies, shall integrate environmental
education in its school curricula at all levels, whether public or private, including in
barangay daycare, preschool, non-formal, technical vocational, professional level,
indigenous learning and out-of-school youth courses or programs. Environmental
education shall encompass environmental concepts and principles, environmental laws,
the state of international and local environment, local environmental best practices, the
threats of environmental degradation and its impact on human wellbeing, the
responsibility of the citizenry to the environment and the value of conservation,
protection and rehabilitation of natural resources and the environment in the context of
sustainable development. It shall cover both theoretical and practicum modules
comprising of activities, projects, programs including, but not limited to, tree planting;
waste minimization, segregation, recycling and composting; freshwater and marine
conservation; forest management and conservation; relevant livelihood opportunities and
economic benefits; and other such programs and undertakings to aid the implementation
of the different environmental protection laws.
SEC. 4. Environmental Education and Activities as Part
of National Service Training Program. - The CHED and
the TESDA shall include environmental education and
awareness programs and activities in the National
Service Training Program under Republic Act No. 9163,
as part of the Civic Welfare Training Service component
required for all baccalaureate degree courses and
vocational courses with a curriculum of at least two (2)
years.
SEC. 5. Declaration of Environmental Awareness Month.
Pursuant to the policy set forth in this Act, the month of
November of every year shall be known as the "Environmental
Awareness Month" throughout the Philippines.
SEC. 6. Interagency and Multi-sectoral Effort. - The

DepEd, CHED, TESDA, DENR, DOST and other relevant agencies,
in consultation' with experts on the environment and the
academe, shall lead in the implementation of public education
and awareness programs on environmental protection and
conservation through collaborative interagency and multi-
sectoral effort at all levels.
SEC. 7. Capacity-Building. - The DepEd, CHED and
TESDA, in coordination with the DENR and other
relevant agencies, shall undertake capacity-
building programs nationwide such as trainings,
seminars, workshops on environmental education,
development and production of environmental
education materials, teacher-education courses
and related livelihood programs.
PD 1586
ESTABLISHING AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

STATEMENT SYSTEM INCLUDING OTHER
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT RELATED
MEASURES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
the policy of the State to attain and maintain a
rational and orderly balance between socio-
economic growth and environmental protection
PD 1586
Section 2. Environmental Impact Statement System. -

There is hereby established a Environmental Impact
Statement System founded and based on the
environmental impact statement required, under Section
4 of Presidential Decree No. 1151, of all agencies and
instrumentalities of the national government, including
government owned or controlled corporations, as well as
private corporations, firms and entities for every
proposed project and undertaking which significantly
affect the quality of the environment.
CHEd Memorandum Order No. 33, series 2009
• Integration of Environmental Education in the Tertiary
Education Curriculum particularly the Civic Welfare and
Training service component of the National Service Training
Program
• In accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act
(RA) No. 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of
1994", and pursuant to Republic Act No. 9512 otherwise known
as "An Act to Promote Environmental Awareness through
Environmental Education and for other purposes.", all CHEDRO
Directors, Presidents/Heads of Public and Private Higher
Education Institutions are hereby enjoined to integrate
environmental education particularly in the NSTP~CWTS and
LTS components.
Camarines Norte Status Report on the Millenium
Development Goals (updated Oct. 27, 2010)
Goal 7– Ensure Environmental Stability
 Current Policies and Programs
a. For upland ecosystems
 Forest Management Program
 Two Protected Area Management Board
 Provincial Forestry Seedlings and Tree Planting Program
 Sustainable Upland Management Strategy Project
 Community-Based Forest Mangrove/ Upland Development Project for Agro-
forestry
 Biodiversity Conservation Program
 Urban Greening Program
 Regulatory Law and Enforcement
 Clean and Green Program
 Current Policies and Programs
b. For coastal/marine ecosystem, the province is implementing the fishery
sector program which consisted of:
 Regulatory Law and Enforcement including Bantay-Dagat
 Sustainability of the Community-Based Resource Management Project-Integrated
Coastal Resource Management Sub-project
 Management, Protection and Conservation of Coastal Resources
 Regular Monitoring of Artificial Reef Development Project
 Mangrove Plantation Establishment
c. On Solid Waste Management, orientations /trainings are being conducted at
the municipal and community levels as follows:
 Orientation on RA 9003
 Training on waste characterization or waste segregation
 Current Policies and Programs
d. Clean Air Act is being supported through the apprehension and
testing of smoke belching vehicles;
e. Formulation of the Environment Code of the province
f. Other activities are the creation of the Youth for Environment
group in school organizations; and the conduct of Information,
Education and Communication Campaigns which consisted of
the celebration of Environment Tourism Week, Wetlands Day,
Earth Day, International Coastal Clean-Up and Environment
Month.
Thank you…
References:
6. PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 1586
7. CHEd Memorandum Order No. 33, series 2009
8. Camarines Norte Status Report on the Millenium Development Goals (updated
Oct 27, 2010) Goal 7– Ensure Environmental Stability
Prepared by Sir Jack

Environmental Laws

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Environmental Laws

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Philippine

 AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A

"Air pollution" means any alteration of the physical, chemical and

(1) Littering, throwing, dumping of waste matters in public places,

AN ACT TO PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL

SEC. 6. Interagency and Multi-sectoral Effort. - The

ESTABLISHING AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Section 2. Environmental Impact Statement System. -

Prepared by Sir Jack

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