By Roy Mabasa
All the 69 containers containing wastes shipped to Manila about six years ago will be sailing back to Canada on May 30 via China.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.
(PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOS / MANILA BULLETIN)
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. made this disclosure in a tweet posted on Monday night.
After undergoing fumigation process in Subic, Locsin said the tons of garbage is “ready to go” and just waiting for documentation procedures and a go signal from China prior to its shipment back to Canada.
“All containers containing garbage cleaned and ready to go. Waiting for a couple of documents and routine permission from China for transhipment to Canada. Departure is May 30,” Locsin said in his social media post.
Locsin also issued a warning to those who will cause a delay in shipping back the trash to Canada: “Anybody gets in the way one way or another, I will screw you dry. Don’t provoke me.”
The tons of Canadian wastes, which were shipped to the Philippines in between 2013 and 2014, have triggered unprecedented diplomatic actions from the Philippines after President Rodrigo Duterte imposed a May 15 deadline for Ottawa to immediately haul the remaining 69 garbage-filled containers back to its port.
However, the Canadian government missed the deadline prompting the Department of Foreign Affairs to recall Ambassador Petronila Garcia and several other consuls posted in Canada.
Last week, Malacanang issued a memorandum barring Philippine officials from traveling to Canada in line with the Duterte administration’s policy of diminishing ties with Ottawa over the garbage issue.
Malacanang stated that the memorandum was meant to emphasize the seriousness of the Philippines' demands in relation to the containers of garbage that were "unlawfully" shipped to the Philippines.