Ruling out any diplomatic protest, Malacañang expressed satisfaction with the $1.4-million or P60-million assessed fine on the US Navy whose ship grazed the Tubbataha Reef on Jan. 17.
Tubbataha Reef Management Office divers, not their counterparts from the Philippine Coast Guard, will make the “final assessment” of the damage left by the USS Guardian on the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, the PCG spokesman told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The removal of the minesweeper USS Guardian that got stuck in Tubbataha Reefs some two months ago was completed Saturday, two weeks ahead of date estimates initially made by both Philippine and US authorities.
A United States Navy-contracted salvage team has completed the cutting and lifting of the bow, or the forward section of the USS Guardian and its subsequent transfer to a barge, the spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), said on Wednesday.
Saying apologies and guarantees of “just compensation” were not enough, at least two Philippine senators are keen to hold the United States accountable for the destruction of the Tubbataha Reef following the grounding a US Navy minesweeper on the marine sanctuary nearly a month ago.
Rising from her sick bed, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago slammed on Tuesday, the United States’ “magnanimity” over its warship’s destruction of the Tubbataha Reef, saying it should be held accountable for violations of both local and international laws instead of calling it an accident and promising compensation for the priceless marine park.
The salvage operation to remove the USS Guardian from the Tubbataha Reef was put on hold Sunday because of turbulent sea conditions, which prevented the giant crane ship SMIT Borneo from anchoring close to the moribund US minesweeper.
The United States Navy has presented to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) its USS Guardian “dismantling plan” that will utilize floating cranes in what it calls a “complex operation” to minimize damage to the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea.
Defense officials on Tuesday asked the United States to submit its salvage plan for the grounded USS Guardian for approval before undertaking a delicate salvage operation that would involve hoisting the stricken vessel onto a barge.
The grounding of a United States minesweeper ship on Tubbataha Reef and its increasing damage on the marine sanctuary and protected area in the Sulu Sea was apparently not on the agenda when a delegation of US lawmakers met with Philippine officials on Monday.
An international environment conservation group yesterday urged the US Navy to do the right thing and finance the restoration and continued protection of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park after its minesweeping vessel ran aground in the area two weeks ago.
The US Embassy on Monday said the US Navy had removed all potential environmental hazards, including 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel, from the ship USS Guardian which ran aground on the Tubbataha Reefs on Jan. 17.
