Authorities in the Philippines stop three container vans carrying suspected electronic waste from being unloaded at the Port of Subic, according to multiple reports. The Bureau of Customs (BOC) acts after environmental groups raise concerns that materials described as U.S. e-waste, along with plastic waste, entered the Subic Bay Freeport earlier in the year. The suspected shipments are said to have arrived aboard the vessel MV Tokyo Express, with the containers reported to have reached the port on July 22. The containers are declared to contain scrap copper, but customs authorities prevent unloading pending further review.
The reports note that the intervention occurs nearly a month after public disclosures about the presence of suspected e-waste and plastic waste from the United States at the freeport since March. The BOC confirms the arrival details and describes the three container vans as carrying alleged U.S. e-waste. The sources do not describe any final determination of the cargo’s contents, focusing instead on customs’ decision to halt unloading as authorities investigate.
