FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
) 
S E N A T E  
INTRODUCED BY THE HONORABLE MAR ROXAS 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article 11, Section 15 of the 1987 Constitution provides that: “The State shall protect and 
promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.” Further, 
Section 16 of the same article states 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 the above-quoted constitutional mandates, Republic Act No. 6969, otherwise 
known as the “Toxic Substance and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990 was 
promulgated. Presently, R.A. No. 6969 regulates, restricts and prohibits the importation, 
manufacture, processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal of chemical substances, toxic and 
hazardous wastes and substances, and other harmful mixtures that present unwarranted risks to the 
environment and/or injuries to the people. It penalizes acts like causing, aiding or facilitating, directly 
or indirectly, in the storage, importation, or bringing into the Philippine territory, toxic and 
hazardous wastes and substances. 
Unfortunately, the penalties and fines provided for under the present RA 6969 are not 
commensurate to the gravity and seriousness of the dangers that toxic substances and hazardous and 
nuclear wastes bring to health and environment. It is, therefore, imperative that R.A. No. 6969 be 
amended to impose stricter and stiffer penalties and fines in order to give more teeth to the said law. 
Thus, this bill seeks to amend R.A. No. 6969 by increasing the penalties and fines provided for 
in the said law, to wit: 
(i) 
Imprisonment of 6 years and 1 dav to 12 vears and fine of Php250,000-Php500.000 for any 
person committing any of the following acts: 
a. 
Knowingly use in chemical substance or mixture which is imported, manufactured, 
processed or distributed in violation R.A. No. 6969 
b. 
Failure or refusal to submit data or information required by R.A. No. 6969; 
C. 
Failure or refusal to comply with the pre-manufacture and pre-importation 
requirements under R.A. No. 6969; 
Imprisonment of 20 vears and 1 day to 40 vears and fine of PhD5 Million-PhD10 Million for 
any person bringing into Philippine territory any amount of hazardous and nuclear wastes. 
(ii) 
The bill also provides for the imposition of treble costs or the payment of three (3) times the 
value of damages for acts causing damage to persons and/or to the environment. Such treble costs 
shall be allocated to a Special Fund, which shall exclusively be used as reparations for the aforesaid 
damages, without prejudice to the filing of the appropriate civil and criminal cases. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
1 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
Second Regular Session 
1 
S. B. No. 
2519 
INTRODUCED BY THE HONORABLE MAR R O U S  
AN ACT 
TO 
FURTHER 
PROTECT 
THE 
ENVIRONMENT 
FROM 
TOXIC 
SUBSTANCES AND HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR WASTES BY IMPOSING 
STIFFER PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6969, 
AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 14 AND 15 THEREOF, AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Phirippines in 
Congress assein bled: 
SECTION 1. Section 14 of Republic Act No. 6969 is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
Section 14 - Criminal Offenses and Penalties 
a) 
i. The penalty of imprisonment of [six (6) months and one day to six (6) 
years and one day and a fine ranging from Six hundred pesos (P600.00) to Four 
thousand pesos (P4,000.00)] SIX (6) YEARS AND ONE (1) DAY TO TWELVE 
(12) YEARS AND A FINE RANGING FROM TWO HUNDRED FIFTY 
THOUSAND PESOS (P250,OOO.OO) TO FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS 
(P500,OOO.OO) shall be imposed upon any person who shall violate section 
13(a) to (c) of this Act and shall not be covered by the Probation Law. If the 
offender is a foreigner, he or she shall be deported and barred from any 
subsequent entry into the Philippines after serving his or her sentence; 
ii. X X X; 
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iii. In case the offender is a government official or employee, he or she 
shall, in addition to the above penalties, be deemed automatically dismissed 
from office and permanently disqualified from holding any elective or 
appointive position. PROVIDED, THAT THIS SHALL BE WITHOUT 
PREJUDICE TO 
OTHER 
CRIMINAL 
AND/OR 
ADMINISTRATIVE 
CHARGES FOR WHICH HE OR SHE MAY BE HELD LIABLE. 
b) 
i. The penalty of imprisonment of [twelve (12) years and one day to 
twenty (20) years] TWENTY (20) YEARS AND ONE (1) DAY TO FORTY (40) 
YEARS 
AND A 
FINE 
RANGING FROM FIVE 
MILLION PESOS 
(P5,000,000.00) TO TEN MILLION PESOS (PlO,OOO,OOO.OO), shall be imposed 
upon any person who shall violate section 13(d) of this Act. If the offender is a 
foreigner, he or she shall be deported and barred from any subsequent entry 
into the Philippines after serving his or her sentence; 
ii. In case of corporations or other associations, the above penalty shall 
be imposed upon the managing partner, president or chief executive in 
addition to an exemplary damage of at least [Five hundred thousand pesos 
(P500,000.00)] TWENTY MILLION PESOS (P20,000,000.00). If it is a foreign 
firm, the director and all officers of such foreign firm shall be barred from 
entry into the Philippines, in addition to the cancellation of its license to do 
business in the Philippines; 
iii. In case the offender is a government official or employee, he or she 
shall in addition to the above penalties be deemed automatically dismissed 
from office and permanently disqualified from holding any elective or 
appointive position. PROVIDED, THAT THIS SHALL BE WITHOUT 
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PREJUDICE 
TO 
OTHER 
APPROPRIATE 
CRIMINAL 
AND/OR 
ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES THAT MAY BE FILED. 
c.xxx 
D. EVERY PERSON WHO VIOLATES ANY OF THE PROHIBITED ACTS 
PROVIDED FOR UNDER SECTION 13 RESULTING TO DAMAGE TO 
PERSONS AND/OR ENVIRONMENT, SHALL IN ADDITION TO THE 
PENALTIES PROVIDED IN THIS ACT, SHALL FURTHER BE LIABLE TO 
PAY TREBLE COSTS OF THREE (3) TIMES THE VALUE OF THE 
DAMAGES CAUSED. PROVIDED, THAT ALL TREBLE COST PAYMENTS 
MADE UNDER THIS ACT SHALL AUTOMATICALLY BE ALLOCATED TO 
A SPECIAL FUND, WHICH SHALL EXCLUSIVELY BE USED FOR THE 
REPARATIONS OF THE DAMAGES CAUSED BY REASON OF THE 
VIOLATIONS OF THIS ACT; PROVIDED, FURTHER, THAT RECOVERY 
BY ANY PERSON FROM THE SPECIAL FUND CONTAINING THE TREBLE 
COST 
PAYMENTS 
SHALL BE 
WITHOUT PREJUDICE 
TO 
THE 
INSTITUTION OF THE APPROPRIATE CIVIL AND/OR CRIMINAL CASES. 
[d.] E. The person or firm responsible or connected with the bringing or 
importation into the country of hazardous or nuclear wastes shall be under 
obligation 
to 
transport 
or 
send 
back 
said 
prohibited 
wastes; 
Any and all means of transportation, including all facilities and 
appurtenances that may have been used in transporting to or in the storage in 
the Philippines of any significant amount of hazardous or nuclear wastes shall 
at the option of the government be forfeited in its favor. 
SEC. 2. Section 15 of Republic Act No. 6969 is hereby amended to read as follows: 
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Section 15. Administrative Fines. - In all cases of violations of this Act, 
including violations of implementing rules and regulations which have been 
duly promulgated and published in accordance with Section 16 of this Act, the 
Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources is hereby authorized to 
impose a fine of not less than Ten thousand pesos (PlO,OOO.OO), but not more 
than [Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00)] ONE ,HUNDRED THOUSAND 
(PlOO,OOO.OO) upon any person or entity found guilty thereof. The 
administrative fines imposed and collected by the Department of Environment 
and Natural Resources shall accrue to a special fund to be administered by the 
Department exclusively for projects and research activities relative to toxic 
substances and mixtures. 
SEC. 3. AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT OF FINES. - THE FINES PRESCRIBED IN 
THIS ACT SHALL AUTOMATICALLY BE INCREASED BY TEN PERCENT (10%) EVERY 
THREE (3) YEARS FROM THE EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT. 
SEC. 4. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any part or provision of this Act is 
declared invalid, such declaration shall not affect the other provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 5. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, issuances, rules or 
regulations or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are 
hereby deemed repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 6. Effectivity, - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in two national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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