Envi group slams Aquino, Harper for ‘cash for trash’ policy

11 May 2015, Manila, Philippines – Environmental justice group BAN Toxics scored President Benigno Aquino III for failing to address the illegal Canadian waste dumping issue in his recently concluded state visit in Canada.

Mr. Aquino met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and other officials last May 7-9 but ‘conveniently forgot to mention the illegal Canadian waste issue because of trade talks.’

According to Harper’s website, the recently concluded state visit heralded bilateral initiatives in the areas of commerce, development and security, and launched exploratory discussions on economic partnerships and free-trade agreement. No mention has been made on the illegal Canadian waste shipment, 50 forty-foot container vans containing various household waste materials, including used adult diapers, dirty plastics, and even electronic wastes.

“The Canadian government has demanded its pound of flesh from the Filipinos. It is a very sad day for the Philippines as our own President failed to stand up for our rights and our dignity as a nation in exchange for empty economic titles and promises,” said BT executive director Atty. Richard Gutierrez.

The group fears that the decision of the interagency committee to dispose the Canadian wastes here will set a precedent for other rich countries’ waste dumping in the Philippines.

The interagency committee in charge of the Canadian waste is composed of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Customs (BOC), and the Department of Health (DOH).

“Harper is taking advantage of our country’s poverty and weak government that he continues to dole out his so-called economic assistance in exchange for making poor countries like the Philippines a dumpsite,” said 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 an international crime under the Basel Convention, to which both Canada and the Philippines are parties.

Under 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 to, illegal traffic of hazardous and household wastes is considered criminal. Exporting countries, in this instance Canada, are required to take back illegally shipped wastes.

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 prohibit 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.

Apart from the Basel Convention, the importation violates a number of local laws such as the DENR Administrative Order 28 (Interim Guidelines for the Importation of Recyclable Materials Containing Hazardous Substances) and Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

The shipment has been festering in the Philippine ports for more two years and, according to the groups’ calculations, the government is spending at least 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. (Angelica Carballo-Pago angelica@bantoxics.org 0917-653-2650)