Canada offers to pay shipping cost of garbage — Panelo

Protesters led by environmental group EcoWaste Coalition had also trooped to the Canadian Embassy in Makati City, carrying big banner that read “Canada: Comply with the Basel Convention. Take back your garbage now,” and placards that read “No more promises” and “Philippines is not a dumpsite” to demand the immediate re-export of Canada’s trash. (File photo: Ecowaste Coalition/Facebook)

The expenses for the shipment of Canadian garbage illegally sent to the Philippines years ago won’t be a problem as its country of origin offered to shoulder it, Malacañang said on Tuesday, May 7.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) noted that the Canadian government is committed to shouldering all the expenses to ship out all the 69 waste containers,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

During Monday’s Cabinet meeting where the issue of garbage was brought up, the Palace official said President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated his previous remarks, saying that the Philippines is not a dump site for other country’s trash.

“The President is firm that we are not garbage collectors, thus he ordered that the Philippines will no longer accept any waste from any country,” Panelo added.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin, Jr., meanwhile, said in a tweet that the DFA asked the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) “to waive or at least give a huge discount for the cost of storage.” ICTSI is the operator of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) where the illegally shipped garbage arrived.

It can be recalled that Duterte, last month, threatened to declare “war” against Canada if the latter failed to bring their garbage back. Panelo, however, had explained that the Chief Executive did not intend to wage war, but his statement against Canada was just “an expression of outrage couched in a very strong term.”

Following Duterte’s remarks, the Canadian government assured that they are committed to working with the Philippine government to resolve the problem, although it did not say when are they going to get back the tons of garbage. Their response was described by the Palace as “quick but vague,” stressing that it was not the “appropriate” answer to the President’s statement in April.

Protesters led by environmental group EcoWaste Coalition had also trooped to the Canadian Embassy in Makati City, carrying a big banner that read “Canada: Comply with the Basel Convention. Take back your garbage now,” and placards that read “No more promises” and “Philippines is not a dumpsite” to demand the immediate re-export of Canada’s trash.

On May 1, the country’s top diplomat tweeted that the garbage will be shipped back to Canada in 15 days, “no ifs or buts.”