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Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No._7876

Introduced By Hon. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma
Lone District of Nueva Vizcaya

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING AN ELECTRONICS DONATION AND RECYCLING
PROGRAM TO POVIDE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC
SCHOOL STUDENTS, ADDRESS THE DEMANDS OF THE MODERN
SOCIETY AND TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE ELECTRONIC WASTE
MANAGEMENT

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Enshrined in Section 17 of out 1987 Constitution is the policy of the State
that is shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and
healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.

Innovation and technological advances grow rapidly. Gadgets such as
mobile phones, laptops, tablets and other electronic devices are in demand
especially during this pandemic.

People needed to adapt in the fast-changing times and the circumstances
brought by the so called, new normal way of living. People have started
working from home, children started online distance leaming and transactions
have become cashless. These changes resulted in the influx of demand of
electronic gadgets.



As a result of the growing demand, it is expected that thousands, if not
millions, of new gadgets flood the market on an annual basis, Unfortunately,
users then frequently discard or dispose of their old gadgets for brand-new
units, which in turn, contributes to the escalating electronic waste problem in
our country. Moreover, not all are knowledgeable on how to properly dispose
electronic gadgets.

A study conducted by engineers from the University of the Philippines
yielded an estimate that by 2021 the number of discarded phones will hit over
24.9 Million, with respondents saying that they were replacing phones at a rate
of once everyone to two years. This means that Filipinos are throwing out their
gadgets despite not being totally unusable and not being beyond their estimated
usefiul life. Some of this electronic waste may not even be “waste” at all.

This wastage is oblivious of the fact that access to an electronic gadget is
severely skewed against or even almost inexistent for lower income households.
A 2020 study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS)
revealed that only 69% of poor households have mobile phones, while only 1%
and 6% of poor and low-income families have computers, respectively. With
the shift to remote learning modalities for 2020-2021 school year due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, this digital divide is rendered more evident. In the
National Capital Region (NCR) alone, around 648,405 public school students
lack gadgets. On the side of our teachers, 13% of them have no laptops or
computers at their home based on a recent Department of Education (DepEd)
survey. This lack of access to gadgets to be used for distance learning, coupled
with the problem concerning internet connectivity, may have forced some of our
youth to skip school and not enroll for the current school year, or at least until
they have procured the necessary tools and equipment.

The juxtaposition of the apparent wastage in the disposal of still-usable
gadgets, on one hand and the lack of electronic gadgets among our students
from poor and low-income houscholds, on the other, serves as the primary
motivation for this proposed measure.

It is for this reason that under this bill, an Electronics Donation and
Recycling Program shall be established nationwide through which all
manufacturers and retailer of electronic gadgets will be mandated to establish
and set up donation and recycling booths within the premises of their sales
outlets, stores, service centers and similar locations. This is for the purpose of
processing and accepting electronic gadgets intended by their respective owners
for donation and/or recycling. For collected gadgets which are intended for
donation, the recipient shall be the Department of Education (DepEd) for


distribution to poor students, subject to appropriate guidelines to be used by the
said agency. For collected gadgets which are intended for recycling, the same
shall be disposed of or turned over to the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR)-accredited facilities capable of recycling electronic
gadgets and components.

Thus, this bill will serve two noble purposes at the same time — protecting
the environment by controlling the unnecessary wastage of electronic devices
and at the same time, bridging the divide that had hampered our poor students
from participating fully in a modern education system.

More than the said objectives, this is bill heeds to the mandate of our
Constitution, that the State shall give priority to education, science and

technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism,
accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development.

In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly

sought.
} OREN CUARESMA



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Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No.__7876

Introduced By Hon. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma
Lone District of Nueva Vizcaya

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING AN ELECTRONICS DONATION AND RECYCLING
PROGRAM TO POVIDE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC
SCHOOL STUDENTS, ADDRESS THE DEMANDS OF THE MODERN
SOCIETY AND TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE ELECTRONIC WASTE
MANAGEMENT

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

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Electronics
Donation and Recycling Act.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy
of the State to promote and protect the right of the people to a balanced and
healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature. In
consonance with this objective, the proliferation of electronic waste must be
addressed through a program that encourages the proper recycling of electronic
gadgets.

It is likewise the declared policy of our State that it shall give priority to
education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism
and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation



and development, To realize the said mandate of our Constitution, it is
imperative that the State shall create an efficient and effective program that will
channel disposed still fit-for-use electronic gadgets to the appropriate facilities
for the use of poor students.

SECTION 3. Electronics Donation and Recycling Program. — All
manufacturers and retailers of electronic gadgets shall be required to establish
and set up donation and recycling booths within the premises of their sales
outlets, stores, service centers and similar locations all over the country for the
purpose of processing and accepting electronic gadgets intended by their
respective owners for donation and/or recycling.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in coordination with the
Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), shall issue
the specific guidelines regarding the layout, contents, sorting and recycling
processes, simple repairs required for donated items and other relevant details
for the operation and maintenance of these booths.

DTI shall maintain a publicly-accessible website containing the
following: (1) detailed and updated list of sales outlets, stores, services centers,
etc. which have donations and recycling booths within their premises; (2)
contact information of those listed in no. 1; (3) basic information on electronics
donation and recycling; and (4) hotlines/s for inquiries, feedbacks and reporting
of problems and issues.

SECTION 4. Destination of Collected Electronic Gadgets. — Fort
collected gadgets which are intended for donation, the recipient shall be the
Department of Education (DepEd) for distribution to poor students, subject to
appropriated guidelines to be issued by the said agency. For collected gadgets
which are intended for recycling, the same shall be disposed of or turned over to
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-accredited
facilities capable of recycling electronic gadgets and components.

SECTION 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60)
days from the effectivity of this Act, the DTI, in coordination with the DICT,
DepEd, DENR and other relevant government agencies and stakeholders, shall
issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this
Act.

SECTION 6. Repealing Clause. — All law, decrees, orders, rules and
regulations and other issuance, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the
provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.


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SECTION 7. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part of this Act,
or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held unconstitutional
or invalid, the remainder of this Act shall not be affected thereby.

SECTION 8. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of
general circulation.

Approved,