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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHlLIPPfNES 
1 
First Regular Session 
S. No. PO 
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Introduced bv Senator Edcrardo J. Ancrard 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines has one of the world’s most abundant marine 
environment. It has become a primary source of food, minerals] petroleum, 
hydrocarbon, energy, animal feeds and even construction materials. Thus, Article 
XII, Section 2 of the Constitution mandates the State to protect the nation’s 
marine wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea and exclusive economic 
zone and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively for Filipino citizens. Corollary 
to the Constitution, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 
provides that while states have sovereign right to exploit their own natural 
resources, they have the duty to protect and preserve the marine environment 
within and outside their jurisdiction and that they shall undertake measures to 
prevent, reduce and control pollution of the marine environment. 
Notwithstanding the importance of marine resources to the country’s 
economic development and ecological survival, there are documented reports of 
the rapid deterioration of the quality of our waters for the past decade wrought by 
man’s indiscriminate discharge of any and all kinds of refuse into Philippine 
waters. This has been attributed primarily to sewage and industrial effluents from 
urban areas, tailings from mining activities, oil from shipping operations and 
agricultural run-off. In Manila Bay alone, bacterial count has shown to have 
increased through the years. This has rendered many beaches in its eastern part 
unfit for bathing and its nearshore waters unfit for fisheries and growing of 
shellfish. 
The present state of the law with respect to the protection of our marine 
environment is provided under Presidential Decree No. 600, otherwise known as 
the Marine Pollution Decree of 1974. Said Decree declares as national policy, 
“prevent and control the pollution of seas by the dumping of wastes and other 
matter which create hazards to human health, harm living resources and marine 
life, damage amenities, or interfere with the legitimate uses of the sea within the 
territorial jurisdiction of the Philippines.” It declares unlawful the throwing, 
discharge or deposit of any refuse matter of any kind or description. However, 
the penalty of a fine of Five Thousand pesos (P5,OOO.OO) or imprisonment of not 
more than one (I) 
year is not at all parallel to the concomitant damage to our 
waters. Thus, this measure seeks to increase the penalty for unlawful dumping. 
The president] manager or director of a corporation or any partnership shall be 
liable. 
This bill defines the guidelines underwhich the Commandant of the 
Philippine Coast Guard may allow the dumping of waste materials. It likewise 
authorizes the adoption of a dumping system which shall take into account the 
characteristics and composition of the waste materials. 
Early passage of this bill is earnestly urged. 
EDG .$p 
RDO /A 
J. ANGARA 


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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
Introduced by Senator Edgardo J. Angara 
AN ACT 
AMENDING CERTAIN SECTIONS OF PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NUMBERED 
SIX HUNDRED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE MARINE POLLUTION 
DECREE OF 1974 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 4 of Presidential Decree No. 600 is hereby amended 
to read as follows: 
"SEC. 4. Deposit of Refuse in Navigable Water. - It shall be 
unlawful to throw, discharge, or deposit, or cause, suffer, or procure to be thrown, 
discharged, or deposited either from or out of any ship, barge, or other floating 
craft of any kind, or from the shore, wharf, manufacturing establishment, or mill of 
any kind, any refuse matter of any kind of description whatever other than that 
flowing from streets and sewers and passing therefrom in a liquid state, into any 
navigable water of the Philippines, or into any tributary of any navigable water, 
where the same shall float or be washed into such navigable water; 
and it 
shall be unlawful to deposit, or cause, suffer or [procure to be deposited material 
of any kind in any place on the bank of any navigable water, where the same 
shall be liable to be washed into such navigable, either by ordinary or high tides, 
or by storms or floods, or otherwise, whereby navigation shall or may be impeded 
or 
obstructed or increase the level of pollution of such 
waters: Provided, 
That nothing herein contained shall extend to, apply to, or prohibit the operations 


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in connection with the improvement of navigable waters or construction of public 
works: 
Provided, further, That the Commandant, Philippine Coast Guard, 
[whenever in his judgment navigation will not be injured thereby, may permit the 
deposit of any material above mentioned in navigable waters, within limits to be 
defined and under conditions to be prescribed by him, provided application is 
made to him prior to depositing such material; and whenever any permit is so 
granted the conditions thereof shall be strictly complied with and any violation 
thereof shall be unlawful.] MAY, UPON APPLICATION, PERMIT THE DEPOSIT 
OF WASTE MATERIALS IN DEEP WATER, OTHER THAN HAZARDOUS AND 
NUCLEAR WASTES AS DEFINED IN REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6969, SUBJECT TO 
THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: (1) THAT THE DEPTH MUST NOT BE LESS 
THAN 2,000 METERS; (2) THAT THE DISTANCE FROM THE NEAREST 
LAND IS NOT LESS THAN 150 NAUTICAL MILES; AND 
(3) MUST NOT 
INTERFERE 
WITH 
SHIPPING, 
FISHING, 
RECREATION, 
MINERAL 
EXTRACTION, FISH AND SHELLFISH CULTURE, AREAS OF SPECIAL 
SCIENTIFIC IMPORTANCE AND OTHER LEGITIMATE USES OF THE SEA: 
PROVIDED, FINALLY, THAT WHENVER SUCH PERMIT IS GRANTED BY THE 
COMMANDANT, THE SAME.SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING 
REQUIREMENTS: 
I. MUST BE FOR AFIXEDTERM NOT LONGER THAN FIVE (5) 
YEARS; 
2. CAN BE TERMINATEDFORCAUSE INCLUDING, BUT NOT 
LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING: 
a. VIOLATION OF ANY CONDITION OF THE PERMIT; 
. b. OBTAINING A PERMIT BY MISREPRESENTATION, 
OR FAILURE TO DISCLOSE ALL RELEVANT FACTS ANENT 
THE GRANT OF PERMIT; 


CHANGE IN ANY CONDITION THAT REQUIRES EITHER A 
TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT REDUCTION OR ELIMINATION 
OF THE PERMITTED DEPOSIT.” 
SEC. 2 
Section 6 of the same Decree is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
“SEC. 6. 
Penalties for Violations. - [Any person who violates 
Section 4 or 5 of this Decree or any regulation prescribed in pursuance 
thereof, shall be liable to a fine of not less than P5,000.00, or by 
imprisonment, for each offense. Any vessel from which oil or other 
harmful substances are discharged in violation of Sections 4 or 5 or any 
regulation prescribed in pursuance thereof, shall be liable for the 
pecuniary penalty specified in this Section, and clearance of such vessel 
from sport of the Philippines may be withheld until the penalty is paid, and 
said penalty shall constitute a lien on such vessel, which may be 
recovered in proceedings by libel in rem in a court of First Instance within 
which the vessel may be.] 
THE PENALTY OF IMPRISONMENT OF SIX (6) MONTHS AND 
ONE (1) DAY TO SIX (6) YEARS AND ONE (1) DAY AND A FINE 
RANGING FROM SIX THOUSAND PESOS (P6,OOO.OO) SHALL 
BEIMPOSED UPON ANY PERSON WHO SHALL VIOLATE SECTIONS 4 
OR 5 OFTHIS DECREE‘. IN CASE ANY VIOLATION IS COMMITTED BY 
A CORPORATION,ASSOCIATION, OR ANY JUDICIAL ENTITY, IT 
SHALL BE LIABLE FOR A PECUNIARY PENALTY OF ONE (I) MILLION 
PESOS (Pl,OOO,OOO.OO) AND THE LICENSE OF SUCH ENTITY SHALL 
LIKEWISE BE CANCELLED.’’ 
SEC. 3 
Section 7 of the same Decree is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 


“SEC. 7. Responsibility and Liability on Oil Spills. - Any ship, 
tank vessel, tank barge or any other watercraft which accidentally or 
otherwise discharged oil or oily mixture on waters subject to the 
jurisdiction of the Philippines, the person in charge of the vessel shall 
immediately notify the Philippine Coast Guard, giving particulars of the 
name of the ship and company, location of spill, type of oil spilled, and 
quantity. In addition, the weather, tide, sea conditions and cause of spill 
shall be reported. Any person in charge of vessel, AND THE OWNER OR 
OPERATOR who fails to notify the Coast Guard of any oil or oily mixture 
discharged from his vessel is liable to a fine of [PlO,OOO.OO] ONE 
MILLION PESOS (P1,000,000.00) or imprisonment of not [more than six 
months but not] less than [30 days] SIX MONTHS. The owner or operator 
of a vessel or facility which discharged the oil or oily mixture[may] SHALL 
be liable to pay for any clean-up costs.” 
SEC. 4 
lii iiew section is hereby added after Section 7 of same Decree, 
to be denominah..l as “Sec. 7-A,” which shall read as follows: 
§i3 
7-A. 
THE 
PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD, 
IN 
C00r’DIN. t”l7ON WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND 
NATURAL RESOURCES SHALL DEVELOP AND ESTABLISH A 
SYSTEM FOR DUMPING OF WASTE MATERIALS AT SEA. 
SUCH 
DUMPINC 9 SYSTEM SHALL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE FOLLOWING 
CHARAC- .i:iSTICS 
AND 
COMPOSITION 
OF 
THE 
WASTE 
MATI t /iLS: 
1 
TOTAL )MOUNT OF MATERIALS TOBE DUMPED; 
2 AVERA*SE i;OfiLlPOSi !-ION OF MATTER DUMPED; 
3 
I ir/iiC1i’Y 
4 
PROPER7iLS OF Ti.1E MATERIALS DUMPED SUCH AS 
PHYSICAL 
(SOLU B I LITY, 
SPEC IF IC 
GRAVITY 
AND 


DENSITY), 
CHEMICAL AND 
BIOCHEMICAL, 
(OXYGEN 
DEMAND AND NUTRIENT PRODUCTION) AND BIOLOGICAL 
PROPERTIES 
(PRESENCE 
OF 
VIRUSES, 
BACTERIA, 
YEASTS, PARASITES, AND THE LIKE); 
5. ACCUMULATION 
AND 
BIOTRANSFORMATION 
IN 
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS OF SEDIMENTS; 
6. SUSCEPTIBILITY TO 
CHEMICAL, 
BIOCHEMICAL AND 
PHYSICAL CHANGES AND INTERACTION IN AQUATIC 
ENVIRONMENT WITH OTHER DISSOLVED ORGANIC AND 
INORGANIC MATERIALS AFTER RELEASE INCLUDING THE 
PpOBABLE FORMATION OF NEW COMPOUNDS; 
7. PROBABILTY OF PRODUCTION OF TAINTS REDUCING THE 
MARKETABILITY OFRESOURCES.” 
SEC. 5. Separability Clause. - If any provision or section of this Act or 
the application thereof to any person, association or circumstances is held 
invalid, the other pertinent provisions or section of this Act and their application to 
such person, association or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. 
SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. - All acts, executive orders, administrative 
orders, proclamations, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 7 Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (1 5) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved