Cooking Up Compliance: 1Bataan Stirs the Pot on Smarter UCO Management for Central Luzon

A Harmonization Workshop on used cooking oil (UCO) handling, collection and RA 6969 implementation was successfully conducted today at the Tourism Pavilion, Balanga City, Bataan, organized by Subic Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD), the Provincial Government of Bataan, and Island Skies Alliance (ISA) last April 28, 2026.

The workshop brought together the city and municipality government units (LGUs) of Bataan, and representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources/DENR (EMB Hazardous Waste from Head Office, EMB Region III), Department of Science and Technology/DOST (ITDI), and experts in used oil management and circularity to align on regulatory requirements, share operational practices, and support the development of a coordinated approach for UCO management in Bataan Province as a pilot location for Central Luzon.

The session covered:

• Alignment on RA 6969 requirements, including UCO classification, generator responsibilities, and compliance protocols

• Mapping of current UCO value chain practices across generators, collectors, aggregators, and recyclers, including key operational gaps

• Discussion of structured collection models, quality control measures, and traceability systems

• Breakout sessions to define roles, responsibilities, logistics flows, and reporting mechanisms across stakeholder groups

Participants contributed to initial outputs including:

• A shared understanding of the benefits of UCO collection

• The challenges of a sustainable grassroots operations model

• Potential workarounds to address these while adhering to compliance requirements

• Identified policy and operational gaps requiring further coordination

The workshop concluded with a view towards 1 Million Liters of UCO from Bataan, with an action plan for follow through over the next 45 days.

The potential for UCO-for-SAF from Central Luzon is a joint program of SCAD and ISA.