(Updated 3:09 p.m.) Malacañang on Wednesday announced that the United States Navy minesweeper USS Guardian has damaged 1,000 square meters of the delicate Tubbataha Reef when it ran aground on the world-famous site last week.
The damage is little over one percent of the total area of the protected UNESCO World Heritage Site, said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda at a briefing.
“Under the Republic Act 10067, the Tubbataha Reef National Park Law, the entire area of Tubbataha Reef is 97,030 square meters,” he said.
He, however, added that while the destruction might seem statistically low compared to the reef’s total land area, the damage is nevertheless significant.
“It’s a damage to a World Heritage Site. It’s a damage to our natural resource. It’s a damage to an important site. We cannot but emphasize on the importance of this reef as a heritage site,” Lacierda said as he described the reef as “national treasure.”
The United States has already apologized for the incident.
Other that the damage to the reef, Lacierda said the USS Guardian itself sustained "severe damage to the rudder and the propeller."
Sanctions?
Lacierda also appealed to the public not to harbor any notion that the Philippine government, being a close ally of the US, is reluctant to hold the US responsible for the damage to the reef.
“[Right now our priority] is to take away the ship. This [does] not mean that we are minimizing or reluctant to press our claim. I spoke with Secretary Albert del Rosario last Monday and we are determined to press our claim," he said.
“Do not be worried about our claims. We have the law. We will enforce the law. The Tubbataha National Park should not be worried also,” he added.
He also said the Aquino administration is not discounting the possibility of elevating the issue to the United Nations.
USS Guardian spokesman Lt. Cdr. James Stockman said they are ready to face whatever legal issues the incident may lead to.
"Should a claim for damages be filed, it will be handled in accordance with the Foreign Claims Act," he said in an e-mail to GMA News Online.
Incident
The Tubbataha Reef is considered as one of the best dives sites in the world having two coral atolls that harbor a wide range of marine species including 600 species of fish, 360 species of corals, 11 species of sharks, 13 species of dolphins and whales, 100 species of birds and sea turtles.
Before leaving a port visit in Subic Bay, the USS Guardian canceled a scheduled fuel stop to Puerto Princesa City. It departed Olongapo City en route to Indonesia and was transiting the Sulu Sea when the grounding occurred at about 2:25 a.m. Thursday.
The Avenger-class USS Guardian, based in Sasebo, Japan, remains stuck on Tubbataha Reef's south atoll, about 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan, as of Wednesday afternoon as Philippine and US authorities figure out ways to extricate it.
A resolution has already been filed at the Senate seeking a formal inquiry on the grounding of USS Guardian in the Tubbataha Reef.
Battle position
Regarding reports that USS Guardian crew members were in "battle position" when they were approached by Tubbataha Management Office marine rangers when the ship ran aground, Stockman said this was "standard procedure."
"To protect our Sailors and the ship, it is standard procedure for U.S. Navy crews to be armed during General Quarters or when dealing with a situation such as being grounded where the ship is vulnerable to attack. This standard procedure is not directed specifically at Park Rangers or anyone else," he said.
Stockman also said while the US Navy is undertaking an investigation assessing the circumstances on the incident, he said the soldiers in the Guardian were not in "rest and recuperation" when the ship ran aground.
In a separate email to GMA News Online, Stockman said that while Guardian extrication efforts have been "hampered by poor weather and heavy seas," they will quickly take advantage of favorable conditions to conduct recovery and salvage operations.
He also noted that there are no traces of an oil slick in the area and, as has been announced by the US Navy earlier, that they are "doing everything possible to mitigate environmental effects" and that the US government will continue to work with the Philippines in assessing the extent of damage to the Tubbataha Reef. — with Gian Geronimo/KBK, GMA News
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