The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 4-A conducted the actual disposal of valueless records on 11 May 2022 in compliance to the Republic Act No. 9470, otherwise known as the “National Archives Act of 2007,” which aims to strengthen the system of management and administration of archival records, establishing for the purpose of the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP), and for other purpose.

Public records refer to records or classes of records, in any form, in whole or in part, created or received by a government agency in the conduct of its affairs, and have been retained by that government agency or its successors as evidence or because of the information contained therein. Records disposal is removing valueless records from existing agency files or storage areas and getting rid of them by selling, by landfill, by shredding or by any other way of destroying them.

According to Section 18, Article III of Republic Act No. 9470, no government department, bureau, agency, and instrumentality shall dispose of, destroy, or authorize the disposal or destruction of any public records, which are in the custody or under its control except with the prior written authority of the executive director. The actual disposal of valueless records strictly follows the applicable rules and regulations of NAP General Circular No. 2 (Guidelines on the Disposal of Valueless Records in Government Agencies) dated January 20, 2009.

The NAP is the national government agency responsible for the implementation of the objectives and provisions of the Republic Act No. 9470. It is also the official repository of the public records and archives where they are preserved, conserved, and made available to the public.♦

Date of Release: 11 May 2022