President forbids gov’t officials from working trips to Canada

THE OFFICE of the President has issued a memorandum prohibiting government officials from going on an “official trip” to Canada.

This comes after the Canadian government failed to meet President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s May 15 deadline to ship out its garbage dumped in the Philippines about five years ago.

In a statement on Sunday, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo “confirmed” that Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea issued a memorandum dated May 20, “directing all department secretaries and heads of agencies, government-owned and -controlled corporations and government financial institutions to refrain from issuing travel authorities for official trips to Canada.”

Government employees require a written travel permit from their agency for foreign trips.

“The aforesaid memo likewise directed heads of government agencies to reduce official interaction with representatives of the Canadian government,” he added.

Mr. Panelo also said the Palace maintains “that these directives are consistent” with its stance “on the diminished diplomatic relations with Canada starting with the recall of our Ambassador and Consul-General in that country in light of Canada’s failure to retrieve its containers of garbage unlawfully shipped to the Philippines.”

The spokesman announced on Wednesday last week that the government would no longer wait for Canada’s action as Mr. Duterte had already decided that the Philippines would shoulder “all expenses” for the shipment.

Mr. Panelo said the President was “upset about the inordinate delay of Canada in shipping back its containers of garbage.”

“Obviously Canada is not taking this issue nor our country seriously,” he added.

As a result of this “offending delay,” he said, Mr. Duterte “instructed the appropriate office to look for a private shipping company which will bring back Canada’s trash to the latter’s jurisdiction.”

If the Canadian government will not accept the trash, the Philippines, according to Mr. Panelo, “will leave the same within its territorial waters or 12 nautical miles out to sea from the baseline of any” of Canada’s shores.

After Malacañang’s announcement, the Canadian government said it has hired a private firm for the shipment.

But Mr. Panelo said in a press briefing last Thursday, “They said it will take about end of June. The President will not allow that. And I understand from Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III that the trash will be shipped back soon.” — Arjay L. Balinbin