Bring back illegal trash to Canada, says Escudero

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero (Photo from PRIB Senado/Romy Bugante)

MANILA – Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who chairs Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, reiterated calls to return tons of imported garbage back to Canada.

“Galing Canada ‘yan. Hindi tayo basurahan. Dapat lamang ibalik sa kanila (That’s from Canada. We’re not [other countries’] garbage collectors. It should be brought back to them),” Escudero said in an interview with dzMM.

He was referring to 40-feet cargos containing an assortment of trash from household wastes like adult diapers to hazardous wastes. These were sent to the Philippines from Canada.

On reports that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) tried to dispose the garbage in a landfill in Tarlac, the senator noted that they would ask Customs Commissioner Bert Lina to explain such allegations.

“Ginawan na lamang ng paraan ni Commissioner Lina ng Bureau of Customs. Tinawagan niya ‘yung shipper ng mga basura, ‘yung may-ari ng mga container. Kinausap niya ‘yung landfill o waste disposal facility sa Clark,” Escudero said.

(Commissioner Lina from the Bureau of Customs tried to resolve the issue. He called the shippers of the trash, the owner of the containers. He talked to the landfill or waste disposal facility in Clark.)

Asserting for the wastes’ reshipment, he called on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to raise the matter to their Canadian counterpart.

“Canada was treated with kid gloves. Dapat mas matindi at mas mabigat ang posisyon natin laban dito (Our position against it should be harder, more serious),” the senator said.