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Republic of the Philippines iS

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

693

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by: “KUYA” JOSE ANTONIO R. SY-ALVARADO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management council (NDRRMC) is an entity
engage in the planning and facilitating disaster preparedness for Natural calamities such as
earthquake, fire, typhoons and other similar calamities. However, the NDRRMC planning and
calamity preparedness does not include management of hazardous substances, materials,
chemical, biological and radioactive agents.

This bill seeks to provide proper training, precautionary measures and systematic
response to address accidents involving hazardous materials in order to prevent or minimize
damage to properties, injuries or death.

Hence, this proposal is submitted for consideration.

“KUYA” JOSE ANTONIO R. SY-ALVARADO }y
Representative
First District of Bulacan


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

7693

HOUSE BILL NO.
Introduced by: “KUYA” JOSE ANTONIO R. SY-ALVARADO-

AN ACT
MANDATING THE CONDUCT OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILLS IN
FACILITIES HANDLING, STORING, AND TRANSPORTING HAZARDOUS
MATERIALS

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in

Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as “HazMat Accidents Preparedness

Act”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to ensure systematic,
safe, and orderly response to hazardous material releases and/or accidents so as to reduce the
risks on the lives, limb, and properties of the people by providing education, training, and

preparedness programs,
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms.

a. Emergency ~ refers to a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation
requiring immediate action, such as but not limited to hazardous material releases and/or

biological, chemical or radiological accidents.

b. Facility — means all buildings, equipment, structures, and other stationary items
which are located on a single site or on contiguous or adjacent sites and which are owned
‘or operated by the same person (or by any person which controls, is controlled by, or

under common control with, such person).

cc. Hazardous material (HazMat) — any item or agent (biological, chemical,
radiological, and/or physical), which has the potential to cause harm to humans, animals,

or the environment, either by itself or through interaction with other factors.

d. Motor vehicles - shall mean any vehicle propelled by any power other than
muscular power using the public highways, but excepting road rollers, trolley cars, street-
sweepers, sprinklers, lawn mowers, bulldozers, graders, fork-lifts, amphibian trucks, and
cranes if not used on public highways, vehicles which run only on rails or tracks, and
tractors, trailers and traction engines of all kinds used exclusively for agricultural

purposes.

e. Release - means any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying,
discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, or disposing into the environment
(including the abandonment or discarding of barrels, containers, and other closed
receptacles) of any hazardous chemical, extremely hazardous substance, or toxic

chemical.


SECTION 4. Emergency Preparedness Protocols in Facilities Handling, Storing, and
Transporting HazMats. - Facilities handling, storing, and transporting HazMats shall have
emergency preparedness protocols in case of releases, accidents, and other potential risks relative
to the management, storage, and transportation of HazMats. Drills shall likewise be conducted to
properly carry out these protocols.

SECTION 5. Conduct of Emergency Preparedness Drills in Facilities Handling and
Storing HazMats.

a. Emergency preparedness drills on HazMat releases and/or accidents shall be
conducted on a monthly basis in facilities handling, storing, and transporting hazardous
materials, Provided nighttime drills shall be done at least thrice a year.

b. The drills shall include: (i) the establishment of emergency communications
system and evacuation routes and plans in case of Haz Mat releases, accidents and other
hazardous phenomena (ii) practice and instruction concerning the location, use and
operation of hazardous material protection suits, footwear, masks, gloves and other
protective equipment, and (iii) evaluation of every concluded drill on the efficacy and
efficiency of the plans, the problems/intervening threats encountered, and the potential
remedies to such problems.

c. A record of all drills shall be kept, and persons in charge of the facilities shall
file quarterly written reports with the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (RDRRMC), giving the time and date of each drill held.

SECTION 6. Conduct of Emergency Preparedness Drills for Motor Vehicles
Transporting Haz Mats.

a. All facilities using or contracting motor vehicles for transporting HazMats shall
conduct at least two (2) emergency preparedness, containment, and evacuation drills in a
year, Provided night time drills shall be done at least once a year. The first emergency
drill shall be conducted during the first quarter of the year and the second during the third
quarter.

b. Each drill shall include the practice and instruction concerning the proper
evacuation of the vehicles and proper containment of HazMats in case of releases,
accidents, and other hazardous phenomena during transportation.

c. Facility operators and drivers shall be trained and instructed by the RDRRMC
to enable them to carry out the provisions of this Act.

. The person(s) in charge of the facilities shall certify in writing to the RDRRMC
that the drills required herein have been conducted, giving the time and date of each drill
held.

SECTION 7. Implementing Agency. - The National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) and its regional and local offices shall oversee the
implementation of this Act in each locality and shall keep record of the reports submitted by the
facilities handling hazardous materials.

SECTION 8. Penalties. — Building administrators or any person in charge of the
administration or management the facilities who refuse or fail to carry out the provisions of this
Act shall be given a warning for the first offense; a fine of Six Thousand Pesos (Php6,000.00) for
the second offense; a fine of Twelve Thousand Pesos (Php12,000.00) for the third offense; and
imprisonment of one (1) month and a fine of Thirty Five Thousand Pesos (Php35,000.00) for
subsequent offenses. The fines shall go to the funds of the local NDRRMC office and shall be
used for disaster prevention and mitigation programs of the locality.


SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, memorandum
circulars inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby amended, repealed or modified
accordingly.

SECTION 10. Effectivity. -
in the Official Gazette or in two.

S act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
‘newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,