EcoWaste commends Duterte admin's 'seriousness' over Canada trash

The Duterte administration's decision to recall Philippine officials in Canada after the latter missed the deadline to take back tons of garbage illegally shipped to the country has been lauded by a coalition of environment groups who have long called for diplomatic action against the shipment.

"Ang pagtingin ng EcoWaste Coalition diyan at iba-ibang environmental group ay talaga namang seryoso ang pamahalaan na ibalik ang basura sa pinagmulan sa Canada at seryoso din ang ating Presidente na hindi tayo tambakan ng basura," EcoWaste Coalition national coordinator Aileen Lucero told GMA News TV's Balitanghali on Friday.

President Rodrigo Duterte has lashed out at Canada over the the tons of household trash that were illegally exported to the Philippines in batches in 2013 and 2014.

The government said the President has given the country until May 15 to take it back.

Duterte even threatened to go to war over the garbage, but the Palace clarified the remark was just a figure of speech.

Canada has nevertheless given assurance that it was working with the Philippine government for a "timely resolution" to remove the tons of Canadian garbage in the country.

Pinoys in Canada

There are over 800,000 Filipinos living and working in Canada.

Lucero emphasized during the interview that the tension between the two countries that may arise from the illegal trash shipment should not spell trouble for the thousands of Filipinos in Canada.

She explained that Filipinos staying in Canada offer the country their services, whereas the people of the Philippines cannot benefit from garbage left to rot on their shores.

"Dapat po ito ay hiwalay kasi iba po itong issue ng basura at 'yung mga kababayan natin doon ay nagbibigay naman ng serbisyo," Lucero said.

"Sabi nga, may kapalit naman ang binibigay na serbisyo, so hiwalay ito dahil itong mga tinambak nila dito sa pilipinas, puro to basura. Puro ito patapon na, at wala itong silbi sa Pilipinas," she added.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Thursday said he has ordered the recall of several ranking Philippine officials in Canada after it missed the deadline to take back the tons of trash.

The Philippine government's decision to recall its officials in Canada over the garbage row was a warning that Manila is ready to end its decades-old diplomatic ties with Ottawa, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the goal of the recall as announced by Locsin was to "persuade" Canada to expedite the repatriation of the tons of trash it illegally shipped to the Philippines years ago.

Canada's foreign ministry said it was "disappointed" by the Philippines' decision to withdraw its top diplomats, but said it would continue to engage to resolve the issue. —Margaret Claire Layug/KG, GMA News