Duterte on Canada trash: It’s about respect

 MANILA, Philippines — Compelling Canada to take back its garbage was all about exacting respect from a sovereign nation and friend, President Duterte said on Wednesday, while emphasizing he was serious about declaring war with the North American nation had it shown defiance.

In remarks at the Eid’l Fitr celebration, Duterte said some Filipinos find his actions and decisions unacceptable because he thinks differently from Westerners.

“It’s a matter of respect. If you make us garbage dump (expletive), and they thought I was joking – I told them I would send the garbage back if we don’t reach an agreement, I will declare war,” the President said in Filipino.

He said Canada should show respect, as he lamented that the media portrayed his outburst as plain “braggadocio and hubris” because “they don’t know me.”

When Canada was hesitating to take back its garbage – contained in 69 containers – Duterte said he was already thinking of sending it back on Philippine Navy ships, with instructions to dump it in Canadian ports or in its waters. He said he acknowledged that it would be too hard to get a private vessel to handle the shipment.

He stressed he was prepared for possible hostile actions by the Canadians.

“And then of course, the Navy and the police will start to arrest my Navy men. Baka magbarilan pa. ‘Di kung magbarilan, o ‘di mag-giyera tayo. Hindi naman ako papayag nang ganun lang (There might be shooting, and if there’s shooting, we will fight. I can’t just let it pass),” he said.

“Whether I like it or not, you accept your garbage because I’m going to send it to you and I will just discharge it in your water,” Duterte said, addressing the Canadian government.

Canada eventually allowed the return of the garbage imported by a private firm between 2013 and 2014. The garbage was shipped back to Ottawa last May 31.

The return of the garbage prompted the Department of Foreign Affairs to send back Philippine diplomats to Canada who had been recalled at the height of the controversy.

Where are the others?

While the issue appears to have ended on a happy note, EcoWaste Coalition national coordinator Aileen Lucero said the Bureau of Customs (BOC) should disclose how some of the unreturned garbage had been disposed of.

“BOC has to tell the people where the Canadian wastes in eight container vans went, noting that only 26 were landfilled in Kalangitan, Capas, Tarlac,” Lucero said.

“Full disclosure is important to clear the air as we pursue a complete ban on foreign waste importation and disposal to protect the public health and the environment from the negative effects of the global waste trade,” she said.

The group raised the matter to the BOC through an e-mail sent last April 30.

In his response, BOC spokesman Erastus Sandino Austria confirmed that out of the 103 shipping containers of Canadian garbage, 34 were locally disposed of.

Of the 34, 26 were brought to the Tarlac landfill while the whereabouts of the eight containers are still being determined.

On May 15, the EcoWaste Coalition filed an online Freedom of Information request to press the BOC to divulge information pertaining to the local disposal of the eight containers, which the group also forwarded to Austria. 

“Rest assured that the matter is being looked into and verified with concerned offices,” wrote Customs Operations Officer Genilyn Minardo in response to EcoWaste’s inquiry coursed through Austria.

Environmental groups were worried about the BOC’s supposedly not acting fast enough on their request for information regarding the unaccounted garbage shipment.

“Were the mixed plastic wastes incinerated or used as fuel in cement kilns? We are concerned as the burning of unsorted wastes, especially those containing chlorinated and hazardous materials, can produce harmful environmental pollutants such as dioxins,” said Sonia Mendoza, chair of Mother Earth Foundation. – With Jess Diaz, Rhodina Villanueva