Duterte asks Aquino to file diplomatic protest over Canadian waste

MANILA, Philppines – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte on Tuesday urged the administration of President Benigno Aquino III to file a diplomatic protest against the government of Canada for waste dumped in the country two years ago.

Duterte sought for the filing of diplomatic protest against Canadian firm Chronic Inc.'s dumping of more than 1,300 tons of garbage in the country.

While calling on the Aquino government to act on the garbage dumping, he cited former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada as an example, recalling that the Estrada, current Manila mayor also filed a diplomatic protest against the government of Japan when they dumped more than 100 containers of garbage to the country.

Estrada ordered his then Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon to lodge a diplomatic protest against the Japanese government which mandated the return of more than 100 containers of waste to Japan.

Duterte said that even if Aquino already reprimanded Canada for the incident, he should follow Estrada’s action on the Japan waste.

“Bakit naman ganun? Ginagawa tayong dumping grounds… Bakit mo gagawing basurahan ang bayan ko? When you do that every time, it is a derogation of our national dignity,” Duterte said.

“You know in a community of nations, there’s always that rule of good neighbor policy. Kaya naman sana, if that is the spirit of the league of nations, the United Nations, the spirit that prevails should be good neighbor policy. You do not do something which is harmful, that could result in discomfort to your neighbors,” Duterte said.

Duterte also asked the Office of the Ombudsman to file criminal and administrative charges against the Bureau of Customs (BoC) officials who allowed the entry of the imported garbage in the country.

“Itong mga taga-Customs…. Sinabi ko nga sa Ombudsman, I told the Ombudsman, you can dismiss them summarily,” Duterte said.

BoC officials reportedly discovered the waste materials inside 55 container vans from Canada, which were declared and labeled as scrap materials for recycling and seized it for being misdeclared.

The waste materials entered the country in May and July 2013 and it has been with the BoC since  then. However, recently it was transported to a landfill facility in Capas, Tarlac.

Duterte then expressed agreement with Tarlac Vice Gov. Enrique “Kit” Cojuangco who called on the provincial council to probe and determine those who allowed the illegal unloading of waste materials in his province.

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority also urged the BoC for the removal of 15 garbage-filled containers placed inside their port since August 2014.

The Canadian Embassy rejected the Philippine government’s demand to return the waste materials back to Canada, saying that the transaction was a “private commercial matter involving a Canadian company and its Philippine partner.”