Environment groups weigh in vs Canada garbage

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the assurance given by Canadian Ambassador John Holmes regarding his country’s commitment to address the garbage dumping case, more environmental groups demanded the immediate return of the illegal garbage shipments to Canada as ordered by President Duterte last Tuesday.

“Canada should act swiftly to retrieve their garbage from our country. No more promises. It has ignored us for six long years. We do not deserve such disrespect, much less the damage wrought by their garbage on our environment and affected communities,” Joey Papa, Bangon Kalikasan Movement president, said before the weekend.

For Consumer Rights to Safe Food president Rene Pineda, the “period of making vague promises and statements is already over.”

“We expect Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau to order without any precondition the speedy reshipment of the reeking garbage to Canada where it belongs. Any scheme to get the garbage processed, buried or burned in the Philippines will be totally unacceptable,” Pineda said.             

Cavite Green Coalition coordinator Ochie Tolentino said: “Our patience has already run out. Canada now has to assume full responsibility for its wastes that have been languishing in our land since 2013. Please re-import your rubbish so we can move on.”

The same sentiment was aired by Green Convergence for Safe Food, Healthy Environment and Sustainable Economy executive director Tessa Oliva, who said the garbage’s continued presence in the country is an “affront to the rule of law and to our environmental rights.”

“Prime Minister Trudeau has no other option but to take back their garbage to put this long standing irritant between Canada and the Philippines to rest. It’s the only decent, moral and legal thing to do to bring this mess behind us,” said Sonia Mendoza, chair, Mother Earth Foundation.

EcoWaste Coalition national coordinator Aileen Lucero said her group hopes that the clamor for Canada to get their trash out of the Philippines “will not again fall on deaf ears.”

“We remain optimistic that our long struggle for environmental justice will soon draw to a close so we can focus on preventing the hideous dumping of wastes and toxics into our country from happening again,” she added.

Next week, environmental advocates will gather to push for Canada’s immediate compliance with the ultimatum issued by Duterte for the long overdue re-export of the overstaying Canadian garbage to its origin in line with its obligations under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.

The garbage placed in 103 container vans were unlawfully shipped to Manila from 2013 to 2014.