Administrative Order No. 2026-24 (DAO No. 2026-24) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines officially took effect on July 30, 2026. The Order adds 81 chemical substances to the Calendar Year 2024 (CY2024) batch of the Philippine Inventory of Chemicals and Chemical Substances (PICCS), reclassifying them from “new chemicals” to “existing chemicals”. For chemical enterprises intending to export these substances to the Philippines or manufacture them locally, the compliance path for market access has been further clarified.
Updates and Legal Basis
Issued pursuant to the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act (Republic Act No. 6969), and specifically Section 14, Chapter IV, Title II of DENR Administrative Order No. 29, Series of 1992 (DAO 1992-29, the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 6969), the Order aims to update, compile, and maintain the PICCS, keeping the government, industry, and the public informed of the chemicals imported, used, processed, manufactured, or transported in the Philippines. The 81 newly added substances include Sodium Methanesulfonate (CAS 2386-57-4) and 4-Methylpentan-2-one oxime (CAS 105-44-2); the complete list (chemical names and CAS numbers) is set out in Section 5 of the Order (see the source link at the end of this article, pages 2-5).
Inclusion Mechanism
Under Section 3 of the Order, the chemicals incorporated into the PICCS this time are new chemicals that have obtained a Pre-Manufacture and Pre-Importation Notification (PMPIN) Compliance Certificate and for which a Notice of Commencement (NOC) has been submitted. Under the established arrangement, importers and manufacturers that submit an NOC on or before December 31 of a given year will have the corresponding substances included in the PICCS update for the following year, and the 81 substances in this update are those that completed this process in 2024. Once a chemical is listed in the PICCS and is neither included in the Priority Chemicals List (PCL) nor subject to any Chemical Control Order (CCO), enterprises may manufacture or import it in the Philippines without further notification or permit application; conversely, substances not listed in the PICCS are in principle prohibited from manufacture or import in the Philippines and must first complete the PMPIN assessment and obtain approval.
Effective Date
The Order was signed by the DENR on May 11, 2026, published in The Manila Times on July 15, 2026, and concurrently filed with the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) of the University of the Philippines Law Center. Under Section 8 of the Order, it took formal effect 15 days after publication, i.e., on July 30, 2026.
ChemRadar Insights
The PICCS is the core reference inventory for chemical compliance in the Philippines. This update calls relevant enterprises' attention to the following points:
- Verify status: Where a substance intended for export to or manufacture in the Philippines is among the 81 newly added chemicals, it is now registered as an “existing chemical” in the PICCS and may be directly manufactured or imported under the conditions described above, without a further PMPIN; if it is not in the PICCS, the PMPIN process must be completed first.
- Screen for additional controls: Even if a substance is listed in the PICCS, it remains necessary to check whether it is also included in the PCL or subject to a CCO; if so, the corresponding additional permitting or reporting requirements must be observed.
- Check the list: The complete list of the 81 substances (with CAS numbers) is set out in Section 5 of the Order (see the source link at the end of this article, pages 2-5).
CIRS Services
To support enterprises' chemical compliance needs in the Philippines, CIRS provides the following services:
- PICCS inventory search
- PICCS Certification application
- PMPIN application for new chemical substances
- Polymer exemption application
- SQI application
- Consulting services on Philippine chemical regulations
