EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
• I M  
*
SENATE
'19 
J U L l l  
All^OI
S. No.
333
Introduced by SENATOR CYNTHIA A. VILLAR
AN AO-
REGULATING THE 
MANUFAOURING, IMPORTATION, AND USE OF 
SINGLE-USE PLASTIC PRODUOS, PROVIDING PENALTIES, LEVIES AND 
INCENTIVES FOR INDUSTRIES, BUSINESS ENTERPRISES AND 
CONSUMERS THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Garbage has always been a problem of our country. 
We see garbage 
scattered and uncollected on our streets, alleys, esteros, rivers, lakes and seashores. 
It has become not only an eyesore but also a hazard to the health of the people. A 
major component of our garbage is plastic wastes. As plastic takes several lifetimes 
to decompose, plastic wastes clog our drainages and waterways and contribute to 
flooding, destroy the environment and ecological systems, disrupt livelihoods and 
endanger our food sources.
While plastic wastes certainly form a big part of our garbage problem, it is 
actually our widespread use of plastic that is the root cause and it is our inability to 
effectively dispose of plastic waste that aggravates it. 
It appears that the laws we 
have passed so far are far from solving our garbage problem.


Indeed, Article II, Section 16 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides 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." Pursuant to 
this State policy, we have passed Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid 
Waste Management Act of 2000 that was supposedly provide us a systematic, 
comprehensive and ecological solid waste program that is focused on solid waste 
disposal. 
While there may be some issues regarding the effective implementation 
of the law, we see that additional legislative measures have to be put in place in 
order to address the problem of plastic wastes in particular.
Plastic 
wastes 
deserve 
special 
attention 
because 
an 
ever-increasing 
population brings with it an ever-increasing demand of consumer products that are 
packaged in or contain single-use plastics or plastics that are thrown away after they 
have been used once. 
We see them as plastic bottles, plastic food wrappers, 
styrofoam containers, plastic grocery bags, plastic food sachets, plastic spoons and 
forks, and plastic straws—common plastic wastes that are often not disposed of 
properly. There are also micro-plastics, which are usually found in cosmetic products 
that are washed off after a day's use. 
Those that do not end up in landfills and 
waste disposal facilities will find their way to waterways and bodies of water. Plastic 
wastes are endangering the Philippines' marine natural resources as marine animals 
become sick and die when they are entangled in or ingest plastic wastes, which will 
threaten entire ecosystems as livelihoods and food sources are adversely affected.
Our existing solid waste disposal programs appear to have a hard time of 
keeping up with the rate by which solid wastes, or plastic wastes in particular, are 
being produced by our people. 
Despite the State policy mandated in our 
Constitution and our solid waste disposal programs established under R.A. 9003, it 
has been reported that the Philippines is included among the countries with a high 
incidence of plastic waste leakage into the seas. In the study entitled uPlastic waste 
inputs from land into the ocean’A led by Jenna R. Jamback of the College of 
Engineering, University of Georgia, as of 2010, the Philippines already ranked third. 1
1 Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean by Jenna R. Jamback, et. al; Science 347, 768 (2015); DOI10.1126/sdence. 
1260352


next to China and Indonesia, among 192 countries surveyed in terms of estimated 
volume of mismanaged plastic wastes produced by the population that could 
potentially enter the seas and oceans. While a United Nations Food and Agriculture 
Organization (UN FAO) Report estimated that by 2050, the oceans worldwide will 
contain more plastic than fish, unless people stop the current trend of using and 
discarding single-use plastic items, such as plastic bags and plastic bottles.2
In addressing the problem of plastic wastes, the solution is certainly not 
merely the proper disposal thereof. There is a necessity to solve the problem at its 
root — the unabated and uncontrolled use of single-use plastic in our consumer 
products. 
This bill being proposed seeks to help solve the problem by regulating 
the manufacture, importation and use of single-use plastics, either as products 
themselves or as packaging materials, with the objective of drastically reducing the 
volume of plastic wastes being produced. The regulation involves prohibiting and/or 
discouraging the manufacture, importation and use of single-plastics, encouraging 
the use of recyclable or reusable products, supporting research and development for 
alternative 
packaging 
materials, 
and 
giving 
incentives 
to 
enterprises 
that 
manufacture alternatives to single-use plastics.
In view of the foregoing, I recommend the immediate approval of this bill.
CYNTHIA A
y u K .
. VILLAk^
https://news.un.org/en/story/2017/04/556132-feature-uns-mission-keep-plastics-out-oceans-an(j-marine-life
3


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE
of li’ 
‘-t-'i’
'19 JULll All
s. No. 353
Q Q RECLlVv.:- L1'
Introduced by SENATOR CYNTHIA A. VILLAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
AN ACT
REGULATING THE 
MANUFACTURING, IMPORTATION, AND USE OF 
SINGLE-USE PLASTIC PRODUCTS, PROVIDING PENALTIES, LEVIES AND 
INCENTIVES FOR INDUSTRIES, BUSINESS ENTERPRISES AND 
CONSUMERS THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Single-use Plastic
2 
Product Regulation Act of 2019."
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It is hereby declared a policy of the state to
4 
adopt a systematic, comprehensive and ecological regulation of single-use plastic
5 
products to advance the right of the people to a healthy environment and ecology.
6 
Sec. 3. Definition o f Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall
7 
refer to and/or mean as hereunder defined:
8 
a) Business enterprise -  refers to establishments engaged in the production,
9 
manufacturing, processing, repacking, assembly, or sale of goods and/or services,
10 
including service-oriented enterprises. It shall include retailers, self-employed or


1 
own-account workers, micro, small, and medium enterprises, and community-based
2 
business enterprises;
3 
b) Consumer -  refers to a person who is purchaser, lessee, recipient, or
4 
prospective purchaser, lessor, or receipt of consumer products, services, or credit;
5 
c) Disposal -  refers to the discharge, deposit, dumping, spilling, leaking, or
6 
placing of waste into or on land or bodies of water;
7 
d) Incentives -  refers to incentives provided for and as defined in Republic
8 
Act No. 9178, otherwise known as the Barangay Micro-Business Enterprise Act of
9 
2002, Republic Act No. 9501, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Micro, Smali,
10 
and Medium Enterprises, Republic Act No. 10771, otherwise known as the Green
11 
Jobs Act of 2016, Executive Order No. 226, otherwise known as the Omnibus
12 
Investment Code of 1987, or as defined by concerned locai government unitsthroush
13 
legislation specifically for this purpose, where applicable;
14 
e) Plastic -  refers to a lightweight, resistant, and synthetic material made
15 
from a wide range of organic polymers which can be molded into a variety of forms
16 
depending on purpose or utility;
17 
f) Recycling- shall refer to the treatment of used or waste materials through
18 
a process of making them reusable or transforming them into new products or raw
19 
materials for the production of other goods and/or services;
20 
g) Retailer -  refers to a person engaged in the business of selling products
21 
directly to consumers;
22 
h) Reusable material -  refers to any material specifically designed or
23 
manufactured for multiple usages. Reusable materials shall meet the following
24 
conditions:
25 
1. 
May be capable of composting and is biodegradable;
26 
2. 
Recyclable;


3
4
1
2
3. 
Does not contain any toxic or harmful substance or chemical such as 
but not limited to lead, cadmium, or any other substance or chemical 
as provided by existing rules and regulations of the Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
5 
i) Single-use plastic -  refers to disposable plastics which are commonly used
6 
for packaging and include items intended to be used only once before disposal or
7 
recycling. These include but are not limited to items such as grocery bags, food
8 
packaging films and bags, bottles, straws, stirrers, containers, styrofoam, cups,
9 
sachets, and cutlery.
10 
Sec. 4. Prohibition o f Singie-use Plastics and Levy for the Use in the Interim
11 
Period. -  The prohibition of single-use plastics by all business enterprises shall be in
12 
full force and effect one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act. In the interim
13 
period, the following shall be enforced:
14 
a) Prohibition on the issuance of single-use plastics by food establishment,
15 
stores, markets, and retailers;
16 
b) Diversion of consumers to usage of reusable materials in substitution of
17 
single-plastics;
18 
c) Collection, recycling, and disposal by manufacturers of single-use plastics
19 
manufactured and/or in circulation in the general market;
20
21
d) Recycling of unavoidable single-use plastics by manufacturers;
e) For each piece of single-use plastics already manufactured, in circulation,
22 
and for use in transaction, retailers shall charge the consumer a minimum levy of
23 
(P5.00);
24 
f) The amount collected in subparagraph (e) of this Section by retailers shall
25 
be reflected in the official receipt. Twenty percent (20%) of the said amount shall be
26 
kept by the business enterprise to cover the cost of the single-use plastics, while


1 
eighty percent (80%) shall be remitted quarterly to the Special Fund created under
2 
this Act;
3 
At the end of the one (1) year interim period, single-use plastic provision by
4 
all business enterprises and use by consumers shall be strictly prohibited.
5 
Sec. 5. Prohibition on the Importation o f Singie-use Piastics. -  Importation of
6 
single-use plastics shall be prohibited. Tariffs shall be correspondingly imposed by
7 
the Tariff Commission and collected by the Bureau of Customs.
8 
Sec. 6. Recycling o f Used Singie-use Plastics. -  All used single-use plastics as
9 
allowed by this Act shall be recycled. 
It shall be the duty of single-use plastic
10 
manufacturers to collect, recycle, dispose and keep records of the said single-used
11 
plastic in a manner consistent with Republic Act No. 9003 and existing laws, rules
12 
and regulations. 
The minimization or absence of negative externalities in the
13 
process shall likewise be ensured by the manufacturers.
14 
Sec. 7. Research and Deveiopment for Aiternatives. -  The Department of
15 
Science and Technology (DOST) shall include in its programs. Research and
16 
Development Agenda and funding, researches on single-use plastic aiternatives.
17 
Sec. 8. Program for Affected Employees and Workers. -  Upon the effectivity
18 
of this Act, research and technology development initiatives, pilot-testing of
19 
innovations and technologies resulting from the studies with the assistance of the
20 
DOST, 
and 
capacity-building 
activities 
shall 
be 
undertaken 
with 
plastic-
21 
manufacturing industries and business enterprises for them to adopt these
22 
technologies.
23 
The DOST, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the
24 
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), with the help of
25 
Local Government Units (LGUs) shall provide capacity building programs, technical
26 
assistance, and trainings to relevant stakeholders.


1 
Sec. 9. Incentives for Shifting to Aiternatives. -  Business enterprises,
2 
individuals, cooperatives, partnerships and corporations which engage in the
3 
manufacture of identified alternatives to single-use plastics shall be given incentives
4 
provided for under Republic Act No. 9178, otherwise known as the Barangay Micro-
5 
Business Enterprise Act of 2002, Republic Act No. 9501, otherwise known as the
6 
Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Republic Act No. 10771,
7 
otherwise known as the Green Jobs Act of 2016, and Executive Order No. 226,
8 
otherwise known as the Omnibus Investment Code of 1987.
9 
Section 10. Certification, Monitoring, and Inspection. -  The Department of
10 
Trade and Industry (DTI), in coordination with the LGUs and local law enforcement
11 
agencies shall conduct regular inspection and monitoring of business enterprises and
12 
facilities of manufacturers to determine compliance with this Act.
13 
The LGUs concerned, after the conduct of a thorough inspection, shall issue a
14 
certificate indicating whether or not business enterprises in their jurisdiction are
15 
compliant to this Act. The certification shall be a requirement for the renewal of local
16 
permits.
17 
Sec. 11. Information and Education Campaign. -  The DENR, in coordination
18 
with LGUs, the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Commission on Higher
19 
Education (CHED), and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), shall conduct public
20 
information and education campaign on the proper regulation of single-use plastics
21 
in the country.
22 
Sec. 12. Penalties and Sanctions. -  Any violation of this act shall be imposed
23 
the following penalties:
24 
a) 
For Business Enterprises, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises as
25 
defined in Republic Act No. 6977, as amended, Barangay Micro Business Enterprises
26 
under Republic Act No. 9178, and all other enterprises and establishments not
27 
otherwise value-added tax (VAT) registered:


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1) First Offense -  A fine of ten thousand pesos (P 10,000.00);
2) Second Offense -  A fine of thirty thousand pesos (P 30,000.00) and 
suspension of business permit for six (6) months;
3) Third Offense -  A fine of fifty thousand pesos (P 50,000.00) and 
suspension of its business permit for one (1) year; and
4) Fourth Offense -  A fine of one hundred thousand pesos (P 
100,000.00) and revocation of business permit and ineligibility for 
application of business permit for a period of five (5) years.
9 
Any further violation of this Act shall perpetually bar the operator from
10 
conducting its business in the LGU concerned.
11 
b) 
For VAT registered enterprises, establishments, and store, and for all
12 
plastic manufacturers found violating this Act, the following penalties shall be
13 
imposed.
14 
1) First Offense -  A fine of one hundred 
thousand 
pesos (P
15 
100,000.00);
16 
2) Second Offense -  A fine of two hundred and fifty thousand pesos (P
17 
250,000.00) and suspension of business permit for six (6) month;
18 
3) Third Offense -  A fine of five hundred 
thousand 
pesos (P
19 
500,000.00) and suspension of its business permit for one (1) year;
20 
and
21 
4) Fourth Offense -  A fine of one million pesos (P 1,000,000.00) and
22 
revocation of business permit and ineligibility for application of
23 
business permit for a period of five (5) years.
24 
Any further violation of this Act shall perpetually bar the operator from
25 
conducting its business in the LGU concerned.
26 
Local government officials and officials of government agencies who fail to
27 
comply with and enforce this Act shall be administratively charged in accordance
28 
with Republic Act No. 7160 and other existing laws, rules and regulations.


1 
Sec. 13. Special Fund. -  A Special Fun for Single-use Plastic Regulation,
2 
hereinafter referred to as the Fund, to be administered by the DENR, is hereby
3 
created to be composed of tariffs, levies, fees and fines collected pursuant to this
4 
Act.
5 
The fund shall be used exclusively for the following:
6 
a) 
Capacity-building of LGUs and local law enforcement agencies for the
7 
purposes of this Act;
8 
b) 
Establishment of recycling centers;
9 
c) 
Information and education campaigns relative to Section 11 of this Act;
10 
d) 
Assistance and incentives for manufacturers and community-based
11 
initiatives for the reduction of single-use plastics, as well as for non-
12 
government and civil society organizations promoting proper solid waste
13 
management;
14 
e) 
Capacity building programs, technical assistance, and trainings to
15 
relevant stakeholders, relative to Section 8 of this Act; and
16 
0  
Additional provisions for the Solid Waste Management Fund under
17 
Republic Act No. 9003.
18 
The fund may be augmented by donations, endowments, grants and
19 
contributions which shall be subject to the provisions of the National Internal
20 
Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.
21 
Sec. 14. Access to Information and Public Disclosure. -  The public shall have
22 
access to records, reports or information concerning the implementation and
23 
mandates of this Act, provided that the DENR or concerned LGU may consider a
24 
record, report or information or portions thereof confidential when such would be of
25 
adverse effect to the competitive position of a manufacturer, seller or distributor.
26 
Sec. 15. Appropriations. -  Such amount that may be necessary to carry out
27 
the provisions of this Act shall be included in the annual appropriations of the DENR
28 
and other implementing agencies under the General Appropriations Act.


1 
Sec. 16. Congressional Oversight Committee. 
-  
The joint Congressional
2 
Oversight Committee created under Section 60 of Republic Act No. 9003 shall also
3 
have the power to monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act.
4 
Sec. 17. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -  The DENR, in coordination
5 
with the DTI, DILG, Climate Change Commission (CCC) and other concerned
6 
government agencies and representatives of LGUs, shall issue the necessary
7 
Implementing Rules and Regulations within one hundred twenty (120) days after the
8 
effect!vity of this Act.
9 
Sec. 18. Separability Clause. -  
If any portion or provision of this Act is
10 
declared unconstitutional or invalid, the remainder of this Act or any provisions
11 
hereof not affected thereby shall continue to be in force and effect.
12 
Sec. 19. Repeating Clause. 
-  Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
13 
executive order, letter of instruction, rule or regulation inconsistent or contrary to
14 
the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
15 
Sec. 20. Effectivity. 
-  
This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days
16 
following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general
17 
circulation.
18
Approved,