THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
1 
e; 
KflR 14 P3:f 
OF THE PHnIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
1 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article I1 Section 16 provides: 
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: 
Being an archipelagic country, all internal waters and seas of the Philippines are 
considered a natural resource of utmost importance. 
Ocean and coastal areas are regions of remarkably high biological productivity, 
are of considerable importance for a variety of recreational and commercial activities, 
and provide a vital means of transportation. 
Ocean and coastal resources are limited and susceptible to change as a direct and 
indirect result of human activities, and such changes can impact the ability of the ocean to 
provide the benefits upon which the nation depends. 
Marine debris, including plastics, derelict fishing gear, and a wide variety of other 
objects, has a harmful and persistent effect on marine flora and fauna and can have 
adverse impacts on human health. 
A study conducted by the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, 
found that plastic debris in the marine environment is a persistent problem that has 
rapidly increased over the past forty years. The main sources are commercial fishing 
debris such as lines and nets, packaging material discarded from vessels, and litter from 
land based sources such as beach litter. Most of these products degradc very slowly, at a 
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slower rate in the sea than in the air, and so persist for considerable periods of time. 
Floating net hagments, monocline rope, can carriers, and packaging bands can entangle 
individual animals. Smaller plastic particles may he ingested by marine mammals, 
seabirds, turtles and fish, possibly blocking the digestive tract or causing ulcerations and 
damage to the stomach lining. 
Marine debris is also a hazard to navigation, putting mariners and rescuers, their 
vessels, and consequently the marine environment at risk, and can cause economic loss 
due to entanglement of vessel systems. 
Like many global environmental problems, marine pollution requires proper 
environmental planning. Insufficient knowledge and data on the source, movement, and 
effects of plastics and other marine debris in marine ecosystems has hampered efforts to 
develop effective approaches for addressing marine debris. 
Lack of resources, inadequate attention to this issue, and poor coordination at the 
national level has undermined the development and implementation of a national 
program to address marine debris, both domestically and regionally. 
The purpose of this bill is to establish programs within the Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources to (1) help identify, determine sources of, assess, 
reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine environment and 
navigation safety, in coordination with other national and local entities; (2) develop a 
national information clearinghouse to enable researchers to study the sources, scale and 
impact of marine debris more efficiently; and (3) take appropriate action in the 
international community to prevent marine debris and reduce concentrations of existing 
debris on a global scale. 
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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHULPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
1 
S E N A T E  
S. B. No. 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A MARDE DEBRIS RESEARCH, PREVENTION, AND 
REDUCTION PROGRAM 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall he known as the “Marine Debris 
Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act.” 
SECTION 2. Implementing Agency. - The Environmental Management Bureau 
(EMB) of the Department of Environment and National Resources shall implement the 
provisions of this act; the acting Bureau Director shall be designated as program 
administrator. 
SECTION 3. Program Components - The EMB with the assistance of the 
Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Interior and Local Government and in 
coordination with other relevant agencies shall: 
(1) Develop and implement a Marine Debris Prevention and Removal 
Program to reduce and prevent the occurrence and adverse impacts of 
marine debris on the marine environment and navigation safety. 
(2) Undertake marine debris mapping, identification, impact assessment, 
prevention, and removal efforts, with a focus on marine debris posing a 
threat to living marine resources, particularly species identified as 
endangered or threatened or protected, and navigation safety, including: 
(A) The establishment of a process, building on existing 
information sources maintained by other government agencies, 
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educational institutions and non-government organizations for 
cataloguing and maintaining an inventory of marine debris and its 
impacts found in the internal waters of the Philippines and the 
Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, including location, material, 
size, age, and origin, and impacts on habitat, living marine 
resources, human health, and navigation safety; 
(B) The creation of measures to identify the origin, location, and 
projected movement of marine debris within the Philippines 
internal waters, the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, and the 
high seas, including the use of oceanographic, atmospheric, 
satellite, and remote sensing data; and 
(C) The development and implementation of strategies, methods, 
priorities, and a plan for preventing and removing marine debris 
from Philippines’ internal waters and within the Philippines’ 
exclusive economic zone, including development of local or 
regional protocols for removal of derelict fishing gear. 
(3) Improve efforts and actively seek to prevent and reduce fishing gear 
losses, as well as to reduce adverse impacts of such gear on living marine 
resources and navigation safety, including-- 
(A) research and development of alternatives to gear posing threats 
to the marine environment, and methods for marking gear used in 
specific fisheries to enhance the tracking, recovery, and 
identification of lost and discarded gear; and 
(€3) development of voluntary or mandatory measures to reduce the 
loss and discard of fishing gear. 
(4) Establish outreach activities and education of the public and other 
stakeholders, such as the fishing industry, fishing gear manufacturers, and 
other marine-dependent industries, on sources of marine debris, threats 
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associated with marine debris and approaches to identify, determine 
sources of, assess, reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse 
impacts on the marine environment and navigational safety, including 
outreach and education activities through public-private initiatives. 
SECTION 4. 
Grants- Financial assistance, in the form of grants, shall be 
provided through the Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Program for 
projects to accomplish the purposes of this Act. 
(1) Fifty percent (50%) Percent Matching Requirement- 
(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), national funds for any 
project under this section may not exceed SO percent of the total 
cost of such project. For purposes of this subparagraph, the project 
proponent’s share of the project costs may be provided by in-kind 
contributions and other noncash support. 
(B) Waiver- The Environment Management Bureau may waive all 
or part of the matching requirement under subparagraph (A) if the 
Administrator determines that no reasonable means are available 
through which applicants can meet the matching requirement and 
the probable benefit of such project outweighs the public interest in 
such matching requirement. 
(2) Eligibility - Any natural resource management authority of a local 
government unit or other government authority whose activities directly or 
indirectly affect research or regulation of marine debris, and any 
educational or nongovernmental institutions with demonstrated expertise 
in a field related to marine debris, are eligible to submit to the EMB a 
marine debris proposal under the grant program. 
(3) Grant Criteria and Guidelines - Within 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the EMB shall promulgate necessary guidelines for 
implementation of the grant program, including development of criteria 
and priorities for grants. Such priorities may include proposals that would 
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reduce new sources of marine debris and provide additional benefits to the 
public, such as recycling of marine debris or use of biodegradable 
materials. In developing those guidelines, the ElLlB shall consult with- 
(A) national, regional, and local governmental entities with marine 
debris experience; 
(D) marine-dependent industries; and 
(E) non-governmental organizations involved in marine debris 
research, prevention, or removal activities. 
(4) Project Review and Approval- The EMB shall review each marine 
debris project proposal to determine if it meets the grant criteria and 
supports the goals of the Act. Not later than I20 days aRer receiving a 
project proposal under this section, the EMB shall-- 
(A) Provide for external merit-based peer review of the proposal; 
(B) Atter considering any written comments and recommendations 
based on the review, approve or disapprove the proposal; and 
(C) Provide written notification of that approval or disapproval to 
the person who submitted the proposal. 
(5) Project Reporting - Each grantee under this section shall provide 
periodic reports as required by the Administrator. Each report shall 
include all information required by the Administrator for evaluating the 
progress and success in meeting its stated goals, and impact on the marine 
debris problem. 
SECTION 5. Appropriutions. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, an 
amount of Fifty million pesos (P50,000,000.00) is hereby authorized to be appropriated 
Erom the National Treasury. 
Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continuous 
operation of the program shall be included in the annual appropriations of the 
Environment Management Bureau 
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SECTION 6. Separabiliw CZause. - If any provision, or part hereof is Iieeld 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 7. 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 8. Efectiivi?y Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifieen (15) days 
aRer its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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