Canadian garbage to be shipped back on Thursday, says PH Foreign Affairs secretary

One of 103 container vans that arrived in the Philippines in 2013 with Canada’s garbage. Photo by ABS-CBN News
One of 103 container vans that arrived in the Philippines in 2013 with Canada’s garbage. Photo by ABS-CBN News

Canada’s garbage will be shipped back to the North American country on May 30.

That’s according to Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary (DFA) Teodoro Locsin Jr., who announced in a tweet last night that the Philippine government is just waiting for some documents before the garbage is sent back to Canada.

In his tweet, Locsin said that all the containers which have the garbage are ready to go.

“Anybody gets in the way one way or another, I will screw you dry. Don’t provoke me,” he said to no one in particular.

A netizen responded to Locsin’s tweet to tell him that the announcement was “good to know.” Locsin responded by expressing his gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte “for pushing the right button” and to Canada “for fully cooperating to get it done as he wanted: pronto.”

Locsin also slammed former president Benigno Aquino III for his alleged inaction with regards to the Canadian garbage issue. “Created under PNoy; left to fester 4 years; solved by Duterte,” he wrote.

In a follow-up tweet, Locsin thanked businessman Enrique Razon, the founder of International Container Terminal Services, a global port management company, for “picking up our part of the tab.”

Locsin also said the return of the Canadian garbage was a collaborative effort among the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the ambassador of Canada to Manila John Holmes, and the Canadian Foreign Minister Christina Freeland.

There will be 69 shipping containers which will be sent back to Canada, The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported. This was what remained of the 103 containers of garbage that was illegally dumped in the Philippines by an Ontario-based company called Chronic Inc.

As many as 103 containers with Canadian waste such as plastic bottles, bags, and even used adult diapers arrived in Manila from 2013 to 2014. Chronic Inc., wrongly declared the contents of the containers as recyclable materials.

The issue surrounding the Canadian garbage became public again last month when Duterte threatened to declare war against the North American country for their failure to take back the rubbish. He gave May 15 as their deadline to take it back but when Canada failed to meet this, Locsin recalled all the Filipino diplomats assigned in Canada.

Canada promised to take back the garbage before the end of June, but Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo said that the Philippine government cannot wait that long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1LOrfKPXSE&t=25s




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