Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR., HON. 
MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA 
AND HON. NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to institutionalize a national Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry (PRTR), a 
tool used by governments to ensure that the environment, natural resources, and people are 
safe from the harmful effects of chemical pollutants released by industries and manufacturing 
plants to the air, water and soil, as well as wastes transported to treatment and disposal sites. 
A PRTR serves as a database or an inventory of potentially harmful pollutants and substances 
released as an off-shoot of production. It enables the government to monitor the effectivity of its 
environmental policies, and allows the State to identify potential environmental issues, the areas 
that may be affected, and the magnitude of the outcome in a cost-effective, timely and accurate 
manner. Meanwhile, industries are mandated to report their releases and transfers which should 
encourage a more efficient use of chemical substances, better housekeeping measures, and 
self-policing schemes for more responsible emissions. The general public may use PRTR 
system to aid in their environmental decision-making. 
Globally, there are treaties and agreements on environmental protection bearing provisions on 
the registration and monitoring of chemical substances released and/or transferred to the 
environment. Numerous Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 
member countries have already adapted the PRTR system, and customized the same based on 
their needs, 
conditions, environmental objectives and national priorities. In fact, Netherlands started a 
voluntary emissions inventory way back in 1974, and is now transitioning to mandatory 
reporting. 
To this day, the Philippines does not have its own PRTR database. Recent disasters have 
reminded us yet again of the country's dire need to closely scrutinize the presence and 
abundance of harmful chemical substances in environment. 
Twenty years ago, the Canadian Marcopper Mining Corporation's drainage tunnels ruptured and 
spilled tons of mine waste which resulted to the displacement of thousands of Marinduque 
residents, and the death of the Boac River including all marine life therein. Later, it was 
discovered that Marcopper had already been dumping mine tailings into bodies of water without 
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government intervention. Meanwhile in 2015, 74 factory workers were roasted alive in the 
infamous Kentex fire after sparks from a welder's tool touched the nearby pile of combustible 
chemicals. 
 
The bill seeks to prevent the occurrence of similar disasters in the future by proposing the 
urgent adoption of a Philippine Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry (PPRTR), as well as the 
creation of the PPRTR Office for the efficient implementation of this Act. It is the duty of the 
State to protect the health and safety of its citizens, and to preserve the environment. In pursuit 
of this end, the swift approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 
 
 
 
 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.  
MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE   
 
 
 
 
TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA  
 
NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR., HON. 
MIGUEL LUIS R. VILLAFUERTE, HON. TSUYOSHI ANTHONY G. HORIBATA 
AND HON. NICOLAS ENCISO VIII 
AN ACT  
CREATING A PHILIPPINE POLLUTANT 
RELEASE AND TRANSFER REGISTRY 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Pollutant 
Release and Transfer Registry Act." 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It shall be the policy of the State to: 
a)
Protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology
in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature, and to protect and promote
the people's right to health, and to attain and maintain a balance between
development and environmental protection;
b)
Maintain a quality of air that protects human health and welfare;
c)
Pursue economic growth in a manner consistent with the protection,
preservation, and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish and marine waters;
d)
Regulate, restrict, or prohibit the importation, manufacture, processing, sale and
distribution, use and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures that present
unreasonable risk and/or injury to health or the environment;
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e) 
Adopt a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management 
program which shall ensure the protection of public health and the environment; 
f) 
Adopt and implement full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public 
interest, and to promote a transparent, open, and participatory environmental 
management regime; and 
g) 
Ensure that information on the health and safety of humans and the 
environment shall not be regarded as confidential, but shall protect trade 
secrets and other confidential information. 
 
SECTION 3. Applicable and Related Laws, Rules, and Regulations. — The following 
laws and their pertinent rules and regulations shall be applicable and taken into account 
in the implementation of the Philippine Pollutant Release and Transfer Registry 
(PPRTR): 
a) 
Republic Act No. 6969 otherwise known as the Toxic Substances and 
Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990; 
b) 
Republic Act No. 8749 otherwise known as the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999; 
c) 
Republic Act No. 9275 otherwise known as the Philippine Clean Water Act of 
2004; 
d) 
Republic Act No. 9003 otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste 
Management Act of 2000; and 
e) 
All other environmental laws, rules, and regulations as may be relevant to the 
implementation of the PPRTR, including, but not limited to multilateral and 
bilateral health and environmental agreements to which the Philippines is a 
party to; 
 
SECTION 4. Scope and Coverage. — The PPRTR shall cover all forms of pollutants 
and hazardous and toxic chemicals, and all forms of emissions and discharges in the 
environment, whether in the air, water, or soil by all facilities and industries operating in 
the Philippines, subject to the guidelines and procedures of the PPRTR on the 
disclosure requirement for facilities and industries. 
 


SECTION 5. Objectives. - The objectives of the PPRTR are: 
1.  To provide timely, relevant, accessible, and comprehensible data to the general 
public to support the identification and assessment of possible risks to humans 
and the environment by indicating sources and amounts of potentially harmful 
releases and transfers to the environment and to minimize its effects on the 
environment; 
2. To simplify and rationalize information gathering about the emission and 
transfer of individual chemicals and wastes to different media, as well as the 
reporting requirements which the industry has to comply; 
3. To prevent pollution and the release of pollutants from various sources by 
encouraging the implementation of cleaner technologies and to help the private 
sector comply with environmental rules and regulations; 
4. To evaluate the progress of government environmental policies on pollution 
control and prevention and to assess to what extent national environmental 
goals can be achieved; 
5. To increase the involvement of the private sector in pollution control and 
prevention, in research and development of clean production and green 
chemistry, and in environmental management to achieve sustainable 
development; and 
6. To improve the quality of air, water, and land resources through the use of data 
and information collected in the system. 
 
SECTION 6. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act, the following terms shall 
mean: 
a) "Pollutant release and transfer registry" (PRTR) - are catalogues or registries of 
potentially harmful pollutant releases or transfers to the environment from a 
variety of sources, including information on the nature and quantity of such 
releases and transfers. It includes information about releases or transfers to air, 
water and soil as well as about wastes transported to treatment and disposal 
sites. It is a means for obtaining regular, periodic information about releases 
and/or transfers of chemical substances of interest and for making this 


information accessible to those who may be interested and/or affected by it; it is 
a tool for promoting efficient and effective policies for environmental protection 
and sustainable development. 
b) "Emission" - emission of a substance to the environment whether in pure form 
or contained in other matter and whether in solid, liquid or gaseous form. It 
includes emissions from landfills, incinerators, waste management and other 
disposal facilities, concrete kilns, sewerage systems, tailings dams, and other 
industrial facilities. 
c) "Air pollution" - any alteration of the physical, chemical and biological properties 
of the atmospheric air, or any discharge thereto of any liquid, gaseous or solid 
substance that will or is likely to create or to render the air resources of the 
country harmful, detrimental, or injurious to public health, safety and welfare or 
which will adversely affect their utilization for domestic, commercial or industrial, 
agricultural, recreational or other legitimate purposes. 
d) "Water pollution" - any alteration of the physical, chemical, biological, 
radiological properties or a body of water resulting in the impairment or its purity 
or quality, or is hazardous or potentially hazardous to health. 
e) "Hazardous wastes" - substances that arc without any safe commercial, 
industrial, agricultural or economic usage and by-products, side-products, 
process residues, spent reaction, media, contaminated plant or equipment or 
other substances from manufacturing operations, and as consumer discards 
from manufactured products. 
f) "Hazardous substances/ chemicals" - are substances which present either: l) 
short term acute hazards, such as acute toxicity by ingestion, inhalation or skin 
absorption, corrosively 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. It is a 
chemical for which there is statistically significant evidence (based on at least 


one study conducted according to established scientific principles) that acute or 
chronic health effects may occur. 
g) "Solid waste" - all discarded household, commercial waste, nonhazardous 
institutional and industrial waste, street sweepings, construction debris, 
agricultural waste, and other non-hazardous and non-toxic waste. 
h) "Green chemistry" - also known as sustainable chemistry, is the design of 
chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use of generation 
of hazardous substances. 
i) "Clean production" - is a preventive, integrated, continuous strategy for 
modifying products, processes, and services, to enhance efficiency which 
improves environmental performance and reduces costs. 
 
SECTION 7. Lead Implementing Agency. — The Environmental Management Bureau 
(EMB) shall be the lead/ implementing agency for the PPRTR. The EMB shall create a 
special unit, the PPRTR Office (PPRTRO), whose sole function shall implement the 
provisions of this Act. 
The PPRTRO shall be headed by an Executive Director and shall be assisted 
by competent staff to be determined based on the exigency of the circumstances. The 
PPRTRO shall be created and established within three (3) months from the effectivity of 
this Act. 
 
SECTION 8. Powers and Functions of the PPRTR Office. — The PPRTRO shall 
have the following powers and functions: 
a) Conduct an assessment of existing infrastructure for the full implementation of 
the PPRTR; 
b) Conduct information and dissemination campaigns as regards the PPRTR, from 
inception to its implementation stages; 
c) Collect, manage, son and make available to the general public the data and 
information collected in the system in an effective, efficient, accessible and 
timely manner, 
d) Maintain a database of covered industries, facilities, and establishments; 


e) Issue reports and updates regarding the PPRTR for the general public; 
f) Conduct research and studies on pollution control, prevention, and mitigation 
and on green chemistry and clean production; 
g) Coordinate with other government agencies and the private sector for the 
effective and efficient implementation of the PPRTR; 
h) Issue guidelines for the implementation of the PPRTR; 
i) 
Conduct 
periodic 
assessments 
of 
the 
PPRTR 
system 
and 
make 
recommendations for the improvement of the same; and 
j) 
Perform such other powers and functions as may be designated by the 
Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources. 
 
SECTION 9. Guidelines and Procedure Implementing the PPRTR. — The guidelines 
and procedure implementing the PPRTR shall be issued by the Secretary of 
Environment and Natural Resources within six (6) months from the date of the effectivity 
of this Act. 
A Technical Working Group (TWG) is hereby constituted to formulate the 
guidelines and procedure to establish the PPRTR. The TWG shall be supported by the 
PPRTRO. The necessary Special Orders (SO) shall be issued to constitute the TWG. 
The TWG shall be composed of at least seven (7) members representing various 
government agencies such as the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor 
and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), 
Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Department of the Interior 
and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Agriculture (DA) among others, the 
private sector and industries, non-government and civil society organizations, local 
government units (LGUs), and the academe, who shall be designated and appointed by 
the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources. 
The Secretary shall ensure that sufficient environment and health experts, and 
frontline community members, are represented in the TWG. 
 


SECTION 10. Contents of the Guidelines and Procedure Implementing the PPRTR. 
— The guidelines and procedure shall contain, but not be limited to the following 
information: 
a) List and schedule of covered substances, chemicals and pollutants, and their 
classification; 
b) List of covered facilities, establishments and industries; 
c) Procedure and method of obtaining, reporting, and disseminating information; 
d) Procedure for citing non-compliant and violating facilities; and 
e) Guidelines to ensure accessible, timely, relevant and accessible public access 
to information on the PPRTR, taking into account the right of businesses and 
industries to the protection of trade secrets and other intellectual property and 
related rights. 
The information indicated in this provision shall be modified accordingly in 
consonance with international developments and evolving practices related but not 
limited to pollution control, prevention and mitigation, green chemistry, and clean 
production, based on researches, studies, international laws, treaties and conventions, 
jurisprudence, and the like. 
 
SECTION 11. Pilot Test of the PPRTR. — The Department of Environment and 
Natural Resources (DENR) and the EMB shall identify areas where the PPRTR shall 
first be implemented for the first reporting year. The areas shall be chosen on the basis 
of the availability of current pollution data and information, private sector cooperation 
and participation, and availability of needed infrastructure. 
The pilot areas shall be as far as practicable in different regions and locations 
and which would be representative of the general conditions in the rest of the country. 
The pilot test shall be conducted within three (3) months from compliance with 
Section 9 of this Act. 
 
SECTION 12. Penalties. — Businesses that fail to comply with the requirements of this 
Act shall suffer a fine of not less than FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (P50,000.00) but not 
more than ONE MILLION PESOS (P1,000,000.00) and suspension of their license to 


operate for one (1) month for the first offence and their license to operate may also be 
revoked. 
 
SECTION 13. Transitory Provisions. — Existing inventories, records and listings of 
pollutants, chemicals, and substances as provided for in other laws, rules and 
regulations, such as but not limited to the Priority Chemicals List (PCL) of the DENR, 
shall be taken into consideration in the formulation of the list and schedules or the 
PPRTR. 
Data and information in existing inventories, records, and listings shall be 
included in the initial list of the PPRTR, provided that all the chemicals in the PCL of the 
DENR shall be used as the initial list of the system. The consolidation shall be 
completed within one (1) year from the date of effectivity of this Act. 
Monitoring, data collection and listing, and inventories, conducted and managed 
by other units and offices of the DENR and other relevant government agencies shall 
continue, subject to the guidelines and procedure as prescribed by Section 9 of this Act, 
on the mandatory sharing and forwarding of information to the PPRTR system. 
 
SECTION 14. Funding. — Upon the effectivity of this Act, the EMB shall allocate from 
their existing funds such amounts as may be necessary for the additional funding 
requirements that may be needed by the PPRTR, subject to the usual government 
accounting and auditing rules and regulations. 
In the year following the effectivity of this Act and in subsequent years 
thereafter, the operational funds and expenses of the PPRTR shall be provided for in 
the annual budget of the DENR. Provided that, the Secretary of Environment and 
Natural Resources may allocate additional funding for the PPRTR as the circumstances 
and exigencies may require. 
 
SECTION 15. Separability Clause. — If any provision, or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting. 
 


SECTION 16. Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary 
to or inconsistent with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or 
amended accordingly. 
 
SECTION 17. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) clays after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,