Senator Cynthia Villar urged yesterday the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to again press the government of Canada to expedite the shipment of the garbage illegally shipped to the Philippines in 2013 back to their country.
Villar, chair of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, said the DFA should follow up on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who made a commitment to resolve the garbage problem between the Philippines and Canada at the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit in Manila.
As far as she is concerned, the senator reiterated that Trudeau’s non-committal pronouncement regarding the issue during the ASEAN summit was “disappointing.”
“Bago sana siya pumunta dito, alam na niya yung issue (nila) sa Pilipinas, at dapat pinag-aralan niya yun para meron na siyang solution pagdating niya dito, pero hindi niya binigyan ng attention,” Villar said in a Radio DZBB interview.
“Dapat ibalik yung (basura) kasi hindi naman magandang practice yung dadalhin mo yung basura mo sa ibang bansa di ba? Parang di naman na penalize yung gumawa nun, di naman tama ‘yun,” she said.
“Ang layo-layo ng Pilipinas, dito pa nila dinadala yung basura nila. Di ba? Me problema na nga tayo sa sarili nating basura dadagdagan pa nila,” the lady solon added.
Thus, she said it is imperative that the DFA, now under the Duterte leadership, pursues diplomatic talks on the issue with Canada until they get back their garbage – all 50 containers, which are still sitting on Manila’s ports.
In 2015, the Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) called on the DFA to lodge a diplomatic protest against Canada to prevent a repeat of the unfortunate incident.
The containers purportedly contained a mixed of plastic bottles and bags, newspapers, household garbage and adult diapers which the BOC classified as hazardous based on the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste and Control Act of 1990, or Republic Act 6969.
As a first world country, Villar said Canada should have set itself as an example in promoting a cleaner environment.
“It’s not logical, especially for first world countries, who are supposedly more environmentally-conscious unlike us in developing countries, to bring their trash here. They should set as an example,” Villar said. (Hannah L. Torregoza)