EcoWaste: Ultimatum ni Duterte sa 'overstaying Canadian waste' aksyunan

MANILA, Philippines (Update 2:49 p.m.) — Muling inudyok ng EcoWaste Coalition si Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau na kunin na ang mga inangkat na basura sa Pilipinas limang taon na ang nakalilipas.

Inilabas ng grupo ang panibagong panawagan matapos bigyan ng isang linggong palugit ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang Canada.

"I want a boat prepared. I'll give a warning to Canada maybe next week that they better pull that thing out or I will set sail, there in Canada, I will dump their trash there," dagdag ng presidente.

Hindi naman daw mangingiming magdeklara ng gera ni Duterte laban sa gobyerno ni Trudeau kung 'di ito aaksyunan.

Ang mga basura ay magkakahiwalay na dumating sa port of Manila taong 2013 at 2014.

"Now that President Duterte has given a seeming ultimatum for Canada to act and now that there is a clear-cut legal opinion confirming that Canada has the obligation to take back the wastes illegally shipped to the Philippines, we urge Prime Minister Trudeau to do what is right to bring this hullabaloo to rest," sabi ni Aileen Lucero, national coordinator ng EcoWaste Coalition, nitong Miyerkules.

Matatandaang naglabas ng legal opinion ang Pacific Centre for Environmental Law and Litigation Law Corporation dalawang linggo na ang nakalilipas patungkol sa diumano'y paglabag ng Canada sa Basel Convention.

Isa ang Canada sa mga orihinal na signatory ng kasunduan noong 1989, na nagkokontrol sa "transboundary movement" ng mga peligrosong basura at disposal nito. 

"Canada should comply with the Basel Convention, take the wastes back, and process them in an environmentally responsible way in Canada, not in the Philippines," dagdag ni Lucero.

"We are counting on Canada to announce without delay a clear and definite date by which it will take back its wastes."

Nakatakdang ilunsad ang ika-14 Basel Convention Conference of the Parties simula ika-29 ng Abril sa Geneva, Switzerland.

Ayon sa EcoWaste, magandaang pagkakataon iyon upang ianunsyo ng Canada ang kanilang pagkuha sa mga basura bilang pagtalima sa tratado.

"The Canadian dumping scandal serves as a stark reminder of the insufficiency of our laws and the need for a stronger defense against the entry of wastes and toxics that could be better managed in exporting countries," ani Lucero.

Hinimok naman nila ang administrasyong Duterte na tuluyan nang ipagbawal ang foreign waste importation at ratipikahan ang Basel Ban Amendment.

Tugon ng Canada

Samantala, naglabas na ng pahayag ang Embahada ng Canada kaugnay ng isyu.

"Canada is strongly committed to collaborating with the Government of the Philippines to resolve this issue and is aware of the court decision ordering the importer to ship the material back to Canada," ayon sa statement.

Aniya, inamyendahan na ng naturang bayan ang mga regulasyon nito patungkol sa hazardous waste shipments noong 2016 para maiwasang maulit pa ito.

"We are committed to working collaboratively with the Government of the Philippines to ensure the material is processed in an environmentally responsible way," dagdag nila.

Taong 2015, sinabi ng Canadian PM na nagde-develop na sila ng "Canadian process" para sawatahin ang problema.

Tiniyak naman ni Duterte na makababalik ang mga ito sa North American country.

"We will bring it back to them... Prepare... and celebrate because your garbage is coming home. Other wastes, which can be loaded in five trucks, dump them in the Candian embassy," sabi ng presidente.

Nangako rin si Duterte na sisibakin ang mga opisyales ng Customs na papayag magtambak ng basura sa bansa.