Fil-Canadians Urge Gov’t to Stop Trash Shipment to PH
By Rowena Papasin, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
Posted at 08/05/2015 11:55 AM | Updated as of 08/05/2015 12:06 PM
VANCOUVER – Filipino community leaders are urging Canada to go after the Canadian company that exported garbage from Canada to the Philippines.
One Filipino sent a letter to Members of Parliament in Ottawa to urge them to investigate Canada’s so called inaction on the issues of unwanted Canadian garbage in the Philippines.
In her letter, Angelina Claver, a Canadian citizen who is currently in the Philippines, called out Canada for the “affront to another nation’s dignity” and for making another country its garbage dump.
Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada is also asking the government to hold “Chronic Incorporated”, the company that exported the garbage to the Philippines, accountable under Canadian laws.
“Whatever is the fullest action na pwedeng ilagay dito sa tao na ‘to or sa company na ito, or whoever are the conspirators or something na kasama dito sa transaction, I think we should try to give them the fullest ng law na pwede nating i-apply,” said Treenee Lopez, member of the Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada.
Some 26 container vans of the garbage from Canada to the Port of Manila ended up in a Tarlac landfill for incineration.
The Basel Action Network has already asked its secretariat to compel Canada to comply with its obligations under the Basel Convention.
In his letter, Basel Action Network’s Executive Director Jim Puckett said the secretariat must intervene since Canada exported “other waste” without the written consent of the Philippines.
Puckett added that the lack of laws in Canada to address the actions of a Canadian company is not an excuse for inaction.
The Philippine embassy in Ottawa said they are closely monitoring developments on the issue after the Department of Foreign Affairs announced that a diplomatic protest will be filed against Canada.
Consul General Eric Tamayo said they are now just waiting for signals from Manila.
“We are coordinating with them, and in order to move forward on this matter and we are awaiting further instructions from them. The coordination between the agencies concerned had been quite active in the last couple of months. There’s always an earnest intention to move forward on this as quickly as possible,” he said.
Balitang America tried to get in touch with Chronic Incorporated, but was unable to get any response.
Lopez, meanwhile, said with the vast lands in Canada should just create another landfill instead of exporting its garbage abroad.