Duterte's deadline for Canada to repatriate garbage May 15, Palace says
President Rodrigo Duterte has given Canada until May 15 to take back its tons of garbage rotting in the country, Malacanang said on Tuesday.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that Canada has promised to shoulder the expenses in repatriating the 69 containers filled with wastes.
"On the issue of garbage from Canada, the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources noted that the Canadian government is committed to shoulder all the expenses to ship out all the 69 waste containers," he said in a statement.
The issue on the garbage from Canada was discussed during the 37th Cabinet meeting, which Duterte presided over on Monday night in Malacanang.
Panelo, who is also the chief presidential legal counsel, said that Duterte reiterated that the Philippines is not a garbage collector.
"Thus, he ordered that the Philippines will no longer accept any waste from any country," he said.
He said the Bureau of Customs was ordered to ensure that similar incident would not happen again.
Asked when Canada would pullout its thrash, the spokesman in a press briefing, said, "The President gave May 15 as the deadline."
"If they cannot get that, then we would be shipping them out, then throw them to the shores or beach of Canada," he added.
The containers of thrash from Canada arrived in the country in 2013 and 2014. The exporters did not declare the true contents of the containers.
Late last month, Duterte threatened to declare war against Canada if it failed to take back the thrash.
He has said that the garbage would be dumped at the Canadian Embassy in the country.
Panelo, however, clarified that the declaration of war against Canada was just a figure of speech. But according to him, Duterte was serious about the repatriation of the tons of garbage to Canada. Celerina Monte/DMS
