Duterte warns Canada to take back trash or will declare war
Credit to Author: CATHERINE S. VALENTE, TMT| Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2019 14:16:33 +0000
SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga: President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday threatened to declare war against Canada if it would not take back its trash in the country next week.
Duterte slammed Canada for sending garbage to the Philippines during the situation briefing here on the effects of tje magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck several areas in Luzon.
“I want a boat prepared. I’ll give a warning to Canada maybe next week that they better pull that thing out or I will set sail, doon sa Canada ibuhos ko ‘yang basura nila doon. I cannot understand why they are making us a dumpsite, and that is not the only case on point. Papasunod-sunod ‘yan na pinapadala yung basura sa atin,” Duterte said in his remarks.
“Well, not this time. Magkaaway kami ng… Eh, ‘di ano, awayin natin ang Canada. We’ll declare war against them, kaya man natin ‘yan sila. Isauli ko talaga. Tignan mo. Ikarga mo ‘yan doon sa barko, load the containers to a ship, and I will advise Canada that your garbage is on the way. Prepare a grand reception. Eat it if you want to. Buang ito kinakaya-kaya tayo. Hindi ako papayag ng ganoon,” he said.
Duterte made the statement after environmental groups renewed their call for Canada to take back waste sent to the Philippines six years ago.
The Pacific Center for Environmental Law and Litigation (PCELL) had said that Ontario-based Chronic Inc. shipped 35 40-foot containers of misdeclared trash to the country in 2013, which amounted to “illegal traffic” under Article 9 of the Basel Convention. This treaty regulates the movement of all forms of rubbish, particularly toxic waste.
“The wastes were falsely declared to contain homogeneous plastic scrap material when in fact these shipments contained mixed waste, including household garbage, and since the wastes were deemed to be hazardous under Philippine law,” the PCELL said.
The 103 shipping containers—which contained household trash, used adult diapers and electronic waste—arrived in the country’s ports between 2013 and 2014, according to the EcoWaste Coalition.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during the 2017 Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Manila that his country was committed to solving the garbage dumping issue.
“I am committed to him (President Rodrigo Duterte) as much as I am committing to you that Canada is working hard to resolve the issue,” Trudeau said.
“It is now theoretically possible to take it back,” he added, saying legal impediments on the return of the garbage had been resolved.
But two years later after his statement, the Canadian garbage was still languishing on Philippine soil.
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