| Demonstrators hold placards and an image of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a protest at the Canadian Embassy in Makati, south of Manila, April 29. The protest led by the Ecowaste Coalition group demanded the return of Canada's overstaying waste in the country one week after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte issued an ultimatum to the Canadian government. EPA |
| Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. / AP |
By Jung Min-ho
Barely a week after vowing to "declare war" against Canada over its garbage illegally shipped to the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to dump it all on Canada's beaches.
According to a local media report Monday, Duterte during a speech in Davao City on Sunday that Canada should not treat his country "like a dumpsite" and take all the trash back immediately.
"There are about 200 (garbage) containers there sent by Canada. We are being treated like a dumpsite," Duterte said at the opening of the Palarong Pambansa, an annual sports event.
Recalling his previous threat to ship the trash back to Canada himself, he added, "I will tell them to load it on to ships next week. If you don't accept your garbage, I will dump it on your beautiful beaches."
Last week, Duterte threatened to wage war against Canada if the Canadian government did not retrieve containers of garbage shipped to Manila in 2013 and 2014.
"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 for Canada and dump their garbage back there … Let's fight Canada. I will declare war against them," he said.
The Canadian government repeatedly said it would try its best to resolve the issue, but has not promised anything specific.
Duterte made the request after the Korean government promised to take full responsibility for 6,500 tons of plastic garbage a private company here shipped to the Philippines falsely as "recyclable materials" last year.