Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 8) — Further delay in the repatriation of Canadian garbage is possible, the Finance Department said, but Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy boy” Locsin, Jr. wants the illegally dumped trash out by May 15 – no ifs or buts.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Finance (DOF) said “bureaucratic red tape” in the Canadian government is hampering efforts to ship back the 69 container vans of garbage.
“Despite the Philippine government’s readiness to re-export the wastes, the Canadian government informed that it might take weeks for them to arrange the necessary documents from their end and that they might not meet the May 15 deadline,” the statement read, quoting Customs Commissioner Rey Guerrero’s report to Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez. He was reporting about the result of a series of meetings between the two countries’ representatives from April 30 to May 6.
But Locsin, the country’s top diplomat, in a series of tweets said he “[does not] give two f*cks what DOF says.”
“The deadline is May 15. Period,” Locsin said.
“The President expects the garbage to be seaborne by May 15. That expectation will be met or else…,” Locsin said in another tweet, without finishing his sentence.
When a netizen sent a video of a toddler throwing tantrums in response, Locsin said, “No. We walk away from Canada. You don’t respect us we won’t have anything more to do with you. I know people on our side are hysterical at the prospect; but do we care? No.”
Malacañang has warned that Canada’s failure to take the trash back immediately may result in severed diplomatic ties. The garbage was brought back to the spotlight as President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to go to war against Canada, but Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the President was just expressing his “extreme displeasure.”
Following the Philippines’ warnings, the Canadian government offered to shoulder the costs of shipping the trash – all the 69 container vans in one go.
The DOF on Tuesday revealed that the Philippines also shelled out money for garbage inspection. “On May 3, the two sides agreed that the DENR will shoulder the costs of inspection to determine the seaworthiness of the containers of wastes, while Canada will shoulder the costs of fumigation and the transfer/trucking services,” the DOF said. It did not mention any amount.
A total of 103 container vans containing trash weighing over 2,000 tons were shipped to the ports of Subic and Manila in several batches from 2013 to 2014. Only 69 remained at Philippine ports since the other 34 were already disposed. Benny Antiporda, Environment Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns, told CNN Philippines the only thing blocking the return of the garbage to Canada was the expenses. The Manila Regional Trial Court in May 2017 ordered it should to be paid for by the Canadian private company that had it shipped.
Canadian-based firm Chronic Plastics, Inc., which exported the vans, declared their contents as plastic scrap materials. The Environment department in 2014 found that the shipments contained municipal solid wastes, which should be immediately disposed and cannot be recycled. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously committed to finding a solution to the garbage problem, both to Duterte and his predecessor former President Benigno Aquino III.
