Consignee that imported Canada garbage to PHL long closed

The company which imported 50 containers of waste from Canada in 2013 has long been closed, according to a report on 24 Oras by JP Soriano on Thursday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had announced that the legal restrictions that prevented the Canadian government from taking back the trash have been lifted.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Chronic Plastics, the Philippine consignee of Chronic Inc., a plastic exporter based in Ontario, Canada, was responsible for shipping it back.

When GMA News visited the supposed address of  Chronic Plastics in Barangay Canumay, Valenzuela City, a different company was already occupying the lot. 

Barangay records showed that the consignee's office had been closed for a long time.

The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 1 ruled in June 2016 that the importer should provide the funds needed to ship back the garbage to Canada.

"The DOJ (Department of Justice) wants the local importer to comply with the order of court so nag-file ng motion for compliance. That motion for compliance has not been acted upon," Environment Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna said.

"So ang iniintay natin na ma-compel ng korte na mag-comply itong importer to send it back to Canada," he added.

The DENR, together with the DOJ and other agencies concerned, are mulling over appropriate legal measures that Chronic Plastics will be facing for its violation.

Philippine senators have weighed in on the supposed development in the garbage dumping case, which has been the subject of diplomatic protests from Manila.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III criticized Trudeau for bringing up the issues of human rights and extrajudicial killings as an alleged attempt to "camouflage" the waste issue.

Senator Cynthia Villar, for her part, thought of the Canadian leader's remarks at the summit as a "gimmick."

“Ibalik na. Bayaran na lang nila. Marami pang gimmick-gimmick. Yaman-yaman nila. Kunin na lang nila pabalik...Liit-liit na bagay eh hindi pa niya kinomit (commit),” Villar said. —Margaret Claire Layug/KG, GMA News