Philippine Asian News Today | Page 10

A10 LOCAL NEWS PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY February 1 - 15, 2016 Petition asks Trudeau to take back Canadian trash dumped in Philippines Environmentalists in the Philippines have sent a petition to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, appealing for Canada to take back the illegal garbage that was shipped to Manila. Called a “Citizen’s Petition,” the letter was sent to both Trudeau’s office and the Canadian Embassy in Makati City on February 1. The petitioners asked Trudeau for the immediate return of the garbage for “environmentally-sound disposal in Canada”. They also called for payment to the Philippine government for costs incurred. Thirdly, the petitioners sought the fixing of “legal loopholes” that led to the unlawful export of the garbage to the Philippines. The Bureau of Customs and the Department of Health in the Philippines have racked up expenses due to the stranded garbage inside 103 container vans that accumulated in Manila ports from 2013 to 2014. The container vans of trash came from Ca- nada and were exported by Chronic Incorporated, based in Ontario. Customs officials filed a case against Philippinebased importer, Chronic Plastics, for smuggling in the garbage. Lawmakers have urged the Philippine government to take the issue to the international arena by citing the stranded garbage as a violation of an international treaty on hazardous waste – a treaty signed by both the Philippines and Canada. A green group, BAN Toxics, has sent a letter to the Secretariat of the Basel Convention, the body that monitors the implementation of the treaty by countries. Some of the garbage has already been dumped in a Philippine landfill. Other container vans remain stranded in Philippine ports. Close to 1,500 people signed the petition. The petition, penned by Aileen Lucero of green group EcoWaste Coalition, reminded Canada’s leader of the statement he made about the illegal trash during his visit to Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in November 2015. “You disappointed us when you vaguely stated that a ‘Canadian solution’ is being developed and made no firm declaration to re-import your garbage,” reads the letter. The group also emphasized that while they support sustainable d isposal of garbage, the Canadian trash in question should end up back in Canada instead of in a Philippine dumpsite or treatment facility. Treatment of the waste in the Philippines is the pre- Protesters tell Canada to take back tons of garbage illegally shipped ferred option of the Canadi- to a port in Manila from Canada three years ago (PDI photo) an government, according to statements by Canadian Ambassador Neil Reeder. Mayors of Philippines cities and towns with dumpsites oppose the dumping of the Canadian garbage in their areas of jurisdiction. Senators and congressmen have also expressed dismay over the continued stay of the garbage in Philippine ports.• - Rappler Senator Enverga thanks Cardinal Collins for his testimony Ottawa – Today, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, testified before the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying, which is empowered to make recommendations on the framework of a federal response on physician-assisted dying after the Supreme Court of Canada ruling stating that the Criminal Code is a breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “I wish to thank His Eminence for a powerful testimony before the Committee this evening,” said Senator Enverga in a statement after the committee had adjourned. “As members of the Catholic church, we have a duty to defend life, and to proclaim the culture of life for the common good of society. I also wish to congratulate His Eminence on taking on his role as the chief shepherd of all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Toronto, and on standing up to what the late Pope John Paul II called a culture of death leading to the creation of structures of sin that go against life.” “Our worth as a society will be measured by the support we give to the vulnerable. People facing illness may choose to end their lives for reasons of isolation, discouragement, loneliness, or poverty even though they may have many years yet to live. What does it say about us as a society when the ill and the vulnerable in our midst feel like burdens? Often, a plea for suicide is a cry for help. Society should respond with care and a compassionate response to these vulnerable people, and not with death,” said Cardinal Collins as part of his testimony, urging parliamentarians to focus on palliative care rather than allowing physician-assisted suicide when our healthcare system fails the weakest in our society.• Senator Enverga (left) and his Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, at the committee on physician-assisted dying on Feb. 3, 2016 (C-SPAN photos) WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM