Question & AnswerQ&A (PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 979)
The official title is the Marine Pollution Decree of 1976.
The main policy objective is to 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 legitimate uses of the sea within the territorial jurisdiction of the Philippines.
"Discharge" includes any spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying or dumping but does not include discharge of effluents from industrial or manufacturing establishments or mills of any kind.
It is unlawful to discharge or dump oil, noxious gases and liquids, or other harmful substances from vessels or structures at sea; to throw or dump refuse from vessels or the shore into navigable waters; and to deposit materials on banks of navigable waters that may be washed into the water and obstruct navigation or increase pollution.
The National Pollution Control Commission has the primary responsibility for promulgating national rules and policies governing marine pollution.
The Philippine Coast Guard has the primary responsibility for enforcing the laws, rules, and regulations against marine pollution and coordinates with the National Pollution Control Commission for implementation and enforcement.
Violators may be fined not less than two hundred pesos nor more than ten thousand pesos, or imprisoned for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or both, for each offense. Vessels involved may have their port clearance withheld until fines are paid.
The discharge of effluents regulated under Republic Act No. 3931, routine discharges incidental to normal vessel operations, and deposits of oyster shells or materials for fisheries development (when authorized) are excluded.
An initial amount of five million pesos is appropriated for procuring necessary equipment, with future funding included in the Philippine Coast Guard's portion of the General Appropriation Decree.
The decree took effect immediately upon its promulgation on August 18, 1976.