Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
AN ACT CREATING A PHILIPPINE POLLUTANT RELEASE AND TRANSFER 
REGISTRY 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Taking care of our environment is directly associated with our health. This is momentous 
legislation that our country needs to prevent the transmission of contagions and be wary 
of pollution and other toxic substances that may be emitted into our ecosystem. The 
creation of this Registry is to tally and study the scientific nature and details of pollutants, 
toxic chemicals, and substances so that they can be eliminated or confined to avoid 
harming our health and our environment. 
The 1987 Constitution is explicit in stating that “The State shall protect and advance the 
right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and 
harmony of nature.” Thus, the passing of this legislation that promotes the quality of air 
and prevention of destructive effects of pollution is supported by the supreme law of the 
land.  
On behalf of the people of Parañaque City’s Second District, and for the common good 
of the Filipino people, the approval of the said measure is earnestly sought. 
REP. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
2nd District, Parañaque City 
September 16, 2022
1:08 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. GUS S. TAMBUNTING 
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.” 
SEC. 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, protect and
promote the people's right to health, and 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;
e)
Adopt a systematic, comprehensive, and ecological solid waste management
program that 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 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.
Sec. 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): 
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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; 
 
Sec. 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. 
 
Sec. 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. 
 
Sec. 6. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean: 
a) 
Pollutant release and transfer registries (PRTR) –catalogs 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, or 
radiological properties of a body of water resulting in the impairment of 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 that 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 processes 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, non-hazardous 
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 the 
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. 
 
Sec. 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 
effectiveness of this Act. 
 
Sec. 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, sort, 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, mitigation and 
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. 
 
Sec. 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. 
 
Sec. 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 research, studies, international laws, treaties, 
and conventions, jurisprudence, and the like.  
 
Sec. 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 based on 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. 
 
Sec. 12. Penalties. – Businesses that fail to comply with the requirements of this Act 
shall suffer a fine of not less than FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (PS0,000.00) but not 
more than ONE MILLION PESOS (P 1,000,000.00) and suspension of their license to 
operate for one (1) month for the first offense and their license to operate may also be 
revoked.  
 
Sec. 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. 
 
Sec. 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 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. 
 
Sec. 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. 
 
Sec. 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. 
 
Sec. 17. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) clays after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
 
Approved,