Msgr. Achilles Dakay, the archdiocese's media liaison officer, said Garcia's suspension came
months before the priest was implicated by a National Geographic article in illegal
trade of
ivory in the Philippines.
Last
month, the Chinese government announced it would «strictly control
ivory processing and
trade until the commercial processing and sale of
ivory and its products are eventually halted,» but details and a timeline have yet to be announced, leaving this statement and intent ambiguous.