Villar hits Trudeau’s gimmicks, leaving garbage issue hanging
Enough of the gimmick, just get the trash.
This was the message of Sen. Cynthia Villar to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had raised the issue of extra-judicial killings and human rights abuses with President Rodrigo Duterte in their bilateral meeting.
Speaking to reporters at the Senate on Tuesday, Villar said Trudeau should just order the return of the tons of trash exported to the Philippines by a Canadian company in 2013.
“Ibalik na lang niya yung basura. Maraming gimik-gimik. Ang yaman-yaman nila e, kunin na lang nila pabalik, di ba?” Villar told reporters at the Senate on Thursday.
(Just get the trash. He has a lot of gimmicks. Their country is so rich, why don’t they just get the garbage back?)
Article continues after this advertisement“Ang liit-liit na bagay hindi pa niya cinommit,” she added.
Article continues after this advertisement(It’s a very small issue but he wasn’t able to commit.)
READ: Trudeau says Canada can now take the garbage back, but…
The senator was apparently referring to Trudeau’s activity-stacked visit in the Philippines that included riding an electric jeepney and the much-hyped visit at the fast food store Jollibee. Trudeau also had a “pop star welcome” during his arrival at the Clark International Airport on Sunday.
During a press briefing at the sidelines of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit and Related Summits on Tuesday, Trudeau said he had committed to Duterte that Canada is working on a solution to the garbage issue.
“I know it has been a long-standing irritant and I committed to him (Duterte), and I’m happy to commit to all of you now that Canada is very much engaged in finding a solution on that,” Trudeau said.
He said legal barriers in Canada prevented the country to get the waste back.
“Those regulations and impediments have now been addressed but there are still a number of questions like who will pay for, what are the consequences. This is a private transaction that does not involve the government,” he explained.
Duterte, in a press conference right after the closing ceremony of the Asean Summit, slammed Trudeau for raising the issue on human rights violations, saying it was a “personal and political insult.”
“I said I will not explain. It is a personal and official insult. That’s why you hear me throwing out curses and epithets,” he said in the briefing.
READ: It’s an insult, Duterte says of Trudeau’s raising rights concern
“It angers me when you are a foreigner, you do not know exactly what is happening to this country,” he added.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III had also slammed Trudeau for expressing the concern, saying the prime minister should comment “on a much relevant issue that Canada needs to answer for.” /jpv
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