Philippines Regulatory News Round-up

New Chemicals No Longer Needed to Be Notified 

The Philippines Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) announced, in January 2025, it has added 161 chemicals to the Philippines Inventory of Chemicals & Chemical Substances (PICCS). These chemicals were notified to the EMB in fiscal year 2022 and 2023, which will bring the inventory to a total of 22438 from 22 277. Starting in February, companies looking to introduce these chemicals into the market will no longer be required to notify the agency through its new chemical program. However, other regulatory controls such as permits for particular chemicals, if required, are still in effect. The chemicals added have various applications used to refine and manufacture petroleum products, cosmetics, fragrances, food packaging, and other consumer products. Some notable chemicals include chromium phosphate, Ethoxylated propoxylated 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, sodium L-lactate, and titanium dioxide. Chemicals used in articles (incorporated, hard objects where the chemicals are not intended for release into the environment) or present as a final product in consumer products, cosmetics, fertilizer, food, drugs, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals are unaffected by this announcement because they are regulated under other regulatory schemes. Companies making these products must still adhere to regulatory requirements for their respective products as regulated by other agencies such as the Department of Trade & Industry, Food and Drug Administration, etc.  

The agency re-published, in February, a flow chart for companies to determine regulatory permits which may be required for the particular chemicals or products. 

See more: Full list of the newly added chemicals

Consultation on agro-chemicals under the Rotterdam & Stockholm Convention

The EMB is calling for consultation papers on the proposal to add 10 new chemicals under the Rotterdam and 4 chemicals under the Stockholm Conventions. The Rotterdam Convention would obligate the exporting Parties to follow the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure or notify the Philippines prior to exporting these chemicals.  Meanwhile, the Rotterdam convention would prohibit the use of two of the proposed substances and restrict the other two substances. If finalised, these substances would affect companies exporting, importing, manufacturing and using these chemicals in products. This consultation is to assist the EMB in its ongoing negotiations in the upcoming meetings as well as the agency’s obligations to carry out the mandate under the Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention. The agency is accepting all position papers via email at chemicals@emb.gov.ph.  

Notable among these chemicals are LC-PFCAs, Paraquat, Chlorpyrifos, which have been restricted or banned in other countries. LC-PFCAs are a group of chemicals under the class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). 

Chemicals proposed under the Rotterdam Convention

• Carbosulfan

• Fenthion (ultra low volume (ULV) formulations at or above 640 g active ingredient/L)

• Liquid formulations (emulsifiable concentrate and soluble concentrate) containing paraquat dichloride at or above 276 g/L, corresponding to paraquat ion at or above 200 g/L

• Acetochlor

• Iprodione

• Methyl bromide

• Paraquat

• Chlorpyrifos

• Mercury (as Pesticide)

Chemicals proposed to be prohibited under the Stockholm Convention: 

• Chlorpyrifos

• Chlorinated paraffins with carbon chain lengths in the range C14–17 and chlorination levels at or exceeding 45 per cent chlorine by weight

Other chemicals to be restricted under the Stockholm Convention: 

• Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids, their salts and related compounds (LC-PFCAs)