(Eagle News)–The Palace on Sunday, May 26, said government officials have been ordered to refrain from issuing travel authorities for official trips to Canada.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the order was contained in a memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea dated May 20.
Panelo said in the memo, Medialdea specifically directed all department secretaries and heads of agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations and government financial institutions to refrain from issuing the travel authorities.
He said the executive secretary told them to reduce their interactions with Canadian officials.
“We maintain that these directives are consistent with our 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,” Panelo said.
It was Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin who ordered the recall of Philippine envoys to Canada after the North American country failed to meet the May 15 deadline for the recall of Canada garbage shipped to the Philippines six years ago.
President Rodrigo Duterte then ordered government agencies to look for a private vessel that would ship the trash to Canada.
Panelo said if Canada refused the trash, the vessel would leave it off the North American country’s waters.
In response, Canada said the shipment would have been completed by the end of June.
But Panelo said this was not acceptable to Duterte.
