Tubbataha damage assessment to start

MANILA, Philippines - Preparations are underway for the joint assessment to be conducted by the Tubbataha Management Office with the US Navy on the extent of damage to the coral reef caused by the USS Guardian after it ran aground in the marine sanctuary last January.

Tubbataha Park superintendent Angelique Songco said the remaining debris in the area is still being cleaned up, and it will be cleared for assessment by tomorrow.

“We are optimistic that the assessment we’ll conduct will already be final,” she said.

Apart from the US Navy, Songco said that representatives from the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute will help assess the damage caused by the Guardian to the coral reefs.

She said there will be additional scientists joining them on April 8 for their second trip in the area.

The second visit by scientists and experts, to be funded by the Bureau of Aquatic Resources, Department of Science and Technology and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), aims to establish a monitoring protocol as well as determine a restoration plan, Songco said.

Meanwhile, the WWF lauded the composite team for the successful extrication of the USS Guardian. “With the first step accomplished, we now move on to assessment. The results will give us an objective basis for the fines that must be collected not just to expedite reef recovery but to upgrade our capacity to conserve our country’s most productive reef system,” said WWF-Philippines vice chairpman and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan.

Under Republic Act 10067 or the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Act of 2009, a fine of about $300 or P12,000 per square meter is mandatory, plus another $300 or so per square meter for rehabilitation efforts. If the damaged area covers 4,000 square meters, total fines might exceed $5 million or P200 million.

“This is not the first grounding incident in the park – all previous cases paid the appropriate fines for damages. We will not ask for anything more than what the law requires. We wish only for the US Navy to be responsible enough when entering our protected areas. However, we are quite confident that the US Navy – an institution long held in high esteem for its strict adherence to honor and duty – shall honor the rule of law,” Songco said.

Independent party sought

Meanwhile, fisherfolk and environmental groups insisted last Sunday that the assessment on the damage created by the grounding of USS Guardian in Tubbataha Reef should be carried out by an independent party and not by the joint team commissioned by the US government and Malacañang because this will not yield an objective investigation.

“If we want to have a credible assessment on the impact and damage caused by the grounding of USS Guardian on the UNESCO declared heritage site, the very first politically correct act to do is to take the US out of the assessment,” said Fernando Hicap, vice chairperson of Anakpawis party-list and Salvador France, vice chair of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya).

The two activist leaders issued the statement after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) declared over the weekend that the salvage team working on the Guardian had removed the warship’s last remaining section.

Both groups also asked President Aquino to stop the transfer of the salvaged parts of the ship to Sasebo, Japan until the US government has “settled its obligations” arising from the grounding of the vessel in Tubbataha Reef.

Anakpawis and Pamalakaya had pressed the Department of Foreign Affairs to lodge a formal diplomatic protest before the US embassy in Manila.

They also urged the US government to immediately agree to the pullout of all US troops, warships and aircraft currently inside Philippine territory to prevent another disaster.

They also demanded the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Mutual Logistics and Support Agreement (MLSA) and the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the US and Philippine governments. – With Michelle Zoleta, Ding Cervantes