Manila: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to “go to war” with Canada if the latter fails to remove tonnes of garbage from the country that was shipped here by a Canada-based company in 2013 and has since remained in a landfill in the city of Tarlac. “We’ll declare war against them. Load the containers onto a ship, and I will advise Canada that your garbage is on the way. Prepare a grand reception. Eat it if you want to,” Duterte was quoted as saying by the official Philippines News Agency.
“I’ll give a warning to Canada maybe next week they better pull that thing out or I will set sail,” he said. The trash was declared illegal as the private Canada-based company responsible for shipping the cargo didn’t have import clearances. Some containers are still at the port of Manila, according to CNN Philippines. The feud led to diplomatic protests in the Philippines but Canada refused to act, alleging the garbage shipment was a private transaction not endorsed by the government.