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Malacanang has formally issued a memorandum to all agencies under the executive branch "lifting restrictions" on travels to Canada and official interaction with representatives of the Canadian government.

The memorandum was signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on June 4 and was released to the media on Thursday. It was addressed to all department secretaries and heads of agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations and government financial institutions.

"In view of the Canadian Government's retrieval and reshipment to Canada of the containers of garbage mentioned in the aforesaid directive, please be informed that such directive is hereby lifted, effective immediately,'' it said.

Last May 2, Medialdea directed concerned government agencies to refrain from issuing travel authorities for official foreign trips to Canada, and to reduce official interaction with representatives of the Canadian government.

He issued the directive after Ottawa failed to retrieve 69 container vans of smuggled trash into the country when the government first made the May 15 deadline.

The Palace also declined Canada's offer to complete the repatriation of its garbage by June 30.

The government also recalled its diplomats, including ambassador, to Canada to show of its protest against Canada.

Apparently due to Manila's pressure, Ottawa blinked and retrieved all the garbage and loaded them to its commissioned ship going to Vancouver last Friday, six years after they arrived in the country in batches. Celerina Monte/DMS