Press Release from Ban Toxics

Environmentalists held protest rallies on May 4 to call on the Aquino
government to bring on the Canadian waste issue on the President's
state visit to the country this week. Photo by Gigie Cruz/BAN Toxics

Canadians call on Harper to take back waste it illegally exported to the Philippines

IN time for Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s state visit, Canadian netizens told Prime Minister Stephen Harper to take back the waste illegally exported to Manila 2 years ago.

An online movement on change.org (change.org/dikamibasurahan) started in the Philippines on March 2014 and has since gathered more than 25,000 signers from around the world. In an effort to put a spotlight to the issue of the Canadian waste during Mr. Aquino’s visit, the petitioner, Anna Kapunan from health advocacy group Ang Nars Partylist - urged the public to send tweets tagging PM Harper (@pmharper) to take responsibility for Canada’s illegal waste export.

“This goes to show that our Canadian brothers and sisters are with us in this call. The Canadian government should listen to its citizens and do the right thing in the interest of justice once and for all,” said Kapunan.

The online action, which coincided with several protest actions in Manila, ramped up as President Aquino left for Canada on Wednesday. Aquino is scheduled to meet with top Canada officials, including Governor General David Johnston and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Here are some of the tweets:

Public outcry in PH, Canada, snubbed by @pmharper. We call on our PM to commit to @govph that we’re taking trash back. - @sleevine

@pmharper you’re leaving a stinking legacy. Commit to @govph in PH state visit that we’re taking our trash back. - @rongillmore

@pmharper let’s not bully the PH. We’ve broken international law. Make it right and tell @govph that we’re taking it back. - @Cross11Sharon

@thomasmulcair, @JustinTrudeau: it's shameful. @pmharper's not owning up for Canada trash dumped in the Philippines - @canadanapoleon

Filipinos have paid 2M CAD for keeping our trash for 2 years. @pmharper tell @govph that we’re taking our trash back - @moscreations

Ashamed of @pmharper: take responsibility of the waste sent to the Philippines. - @katy_sotomayor

In 2013, the Philippines Bureau of Customs (BOC) seized 50 forty-footer container vans containing various waste materials and hazardous wastes imported from Canada, which were misdeclared by the Canadian exporter as ‘assorted scrap plastic materials for recycling’.

Philippine environmental groups and health advocates have expressed fear that if the Canadian wastes were to be dumped in the Philippines, this will set a precedent and give way to more garbage being dumped to poor countries by richer countries like Canada.

“The Harper administration knows it’s reneging on its international commitments and it is using its economic power to bully a poorer nation from enforcing the very obligations designed to protect it,” explained environmental justice organization BAN Toxics’ executive director Atty. Richard Gutierrez.

The Canadian government continues to dodge the issue by saying this is a private matter between the Canadian exporter, Chronic Inc., and its Filipino counterpart, Chronic Plastics. However, various sectors have pointed out that the illegal shipment is a violation of the Basel Convention, to which both Canada and the Philippines are parties.

The shipment has been festering in the Philippine ports for more two years and, according to the groups’ calculations, the government is spending almost P144,000 a day for the loss of income for storage space and the additional expenses for demurrage, which, to date, costs around Php90 million.

As per the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, a United Nations treaty to which both Canada and the Philippines are parties, the illegal shipment, containing a mixture of household and toxic wastes, should be re-exported to Canada. The Basel Convention is an international treaty that regulates toxic waste and other wastes, similar to what the Canadian shipper sent to the Philippines, and prohibits illegal waste trade. The Convention requires the exporting country, in this case Canada, to take back the illegally seized shipment and to pay the costs for the return.

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