Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Wednesday (September 9) that they already informed the Canadian government that 103 containers filled with waste were left on the shores of the Philippines by a private Canadian company.
DFA Assistant Secretary Jesus Domingo also said at the Senate inquiry on Wednesday that the trash from Canada is a violation of environmental laws.
According to Domingo, the DFA asked for the Canadian government’s assistance to remove the waste. But Domingo said the Canadian government themselves are constrained by their laws to compel the exporter to take back its trash.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) also admitted to the senators that it issued a permit to the company Chronic Plastics Inc., but the department found out that the company “violated the permit”.
The senators, however, did not buy the excuse.
Sens. Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Loren Legarda argued that Canada is a signatory under the Basel Convention — an international treaty that aims to reduce hazardous waste wherever it is disposed.
They said, the government handled the Canada toxic waste issue with kid gloves.
“Sana mas naging matindi yung position ng ating gobyerno para maski papano maramdaman ng Canada uy seryoso sila, nagagalit sila, hindi sila papayag dito. Ang nangyari parang ordinary negosasyon,” Escudero said expressing his dismay on how the government is handling the situation.
[Translation: I wish the government had a more firm position on the matter so that Canada will get the message that we are serious on the matter, that we are furious on this issue, and we cannot just accept this. But the government is treating this like an ordinary negotiation.]
Escudero said they expect a report from the inter-agency committee, composed of DFA, DENR, and the Bureau of Customs (BoC).
“We should have been showing righteous indignation sa ganitong uri na situation instead na maging mabait sa bagay na ito,” said Escudero.
[Translation: We should have been showing righteous indignation in this kind of situation instead of being kind about it.]
“Pinpasubmit namin sa DENR ang complete list na mga pinapayagan nila, yung binibigyan nila ng permit para magimport ng ‘recyclable material’ para maiwasan yung ganitong uri na sitwasyon na may halo yung recycleable material na municipal waste,” he added.
[Translation: We asked the DENR to submit a complete list of those they allow, those who they have given permit, to import ‘recyclable material’ so that this kind of situation won’t happen again, where recyclable materials are mixed with municipal waste.]
Tarlac Vice Governor Enrique Cojuangco also expressed his dismay over the issue and said there are violations in the safeguards and that he hopes to see a permanent solution on foreign garbage.
Cojuangco added, there are eight containers of waste impounded in the Metro Clark parking lot and 69 remain in Subic, waiting to be dumped in the Kalangitan landfill.
Tarlac Gov. Victor Yap earlier asked the Metro Clark Waste Management Corp. (MCWMC) to stop dumping garbage shipped from Canada at its sanitary landfill in Capas town.
