Palace rejects Canada offer to ship back trash by end June

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines rejected Thursday the offer of Canada to ship back its trash to Ottawa by end of June.

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said “(t)he President will not agree” to such gesture of Canada especially now that President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the immediate return of the garbage to Ottawa.

“They said it will take end of June. The President will not agree with this. I understand from Secretary [Carlos] Dominguez that it will be set the soonest. The trash will be sent back the soonest,” he said.

Panelo was reacting to the statement of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), which said the removal and shipping back of the trash would be completed “by the end of June.”

On Wednesday, Panelo said Duterte was “so upset” that he ordered the return of the tons of trash to Ottawa “immediately” even if the Philippines has to shoulder the cost.

READ: Duterte orders ‘immediate’ return of Canada trash; Philippines to shoulder cost

Malacañang also slammed Canada’s seeming inaction over the garbage issue.

The Palace official has reiterated that the government won’t allow the Philippines to be “a dumping ground of trash.”

To recall, at least 103 containers of household trash, including plastic bottles and bags, newspapers and diapers, were shipped in batches from Canada to the Philippines from 2013 to 2014. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)