US to pay for Tubbataha damage ‘very soon’
MANILA, Philippines – The United States will “very soon” have an announcement about the compensation for the damage to Tubbataha Reef when a US Navy ship was grounded there in 2013.
This undated handout photo released on March 30, 2013 by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows the stern of the USS Guardian before being lifted by a boat crane during its salvage operation at Tubbataha reef, in Palawan island, western Philippines. AFP PHOTO/PCG
“We are in the last phases of review,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg said in a forum Monday when asked for an update on when the compensation could be paid.
“I am convinced that very soon we will have an announcement on that,” he said.
The US Navy minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef last January 2013 and damaged more than 2,300 square meters of coral reef.
As much as $1.4 million could be paid by the US government in fines.
After an investigation by both countries, the persons found responsible for the incident have been reprimanded accordingly, Goldberg said.
The ship was cut into pieces to remove it safely from the reef without causing further damage.
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