MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – The Philippines is fast gaining a new reputation as an international dumping ground for toxic and dilapidated waste.

First, containers from Canada arrived years ago at the Port of Manila, supposedly carrying several tons of recycled plastic.  Alas, the contents were nothing but Canadian garbage, including used adult diapers.

Now, a massive and dilapidated floating drydock used in the Pacific since World War II is moving to the Philippines after spending nearly half a century at Naval Base Guam.

Several local tugboats and the 467-ton Philippine tug Rhocas guided Richland out of Apra Harbor Wednesday in preparation for an open-ocean tow to the Philippines that will take several days. The Rhocas began that tow on Thursday.

It’s unclear what will happen to the drydock, which has a deep basin that can be flooded so ships can be floated in and repaired after the water is drained, once it arrives in the Philippines.

For many, however, it is clear that the Philippines is seen by foreign governments as a convenient dumping ground for unwanted waste, and Philippine officials don’t seem to care.