US set to announce compensation for Tubbataha damage

MANILA, Philippines - The United States is set to announce soon compensation for the damage to Tubbataha Reef in Palawan caused by the US Navy minesweeper which ran aground in the area last year.

Ambassador Philip Goldberg said the US waited for the Philippines to submit the request for compensation, delaying payment for damages done by the USS Guardian.

“We are going to the last phase of the review. You know whenever something like this happens, it requires legal and other review. I’m convinced that very soon we will have an announcement to make on it,” Goldberg said at the Kapihan sa Embahada at the US embassy.

He said the US had apologized for the incident and the USS Guardian officers and crew had been reprimanded.

“We also took enormous care and great expense in removing the damaged vessel,” he added.

In January, a US embassy official, who asked not to be named, said the US was ready to pay for the damages, but the Philippines had not made a request.

A US Navy report and findings on the grounding of the ship released in June 2013 showed visual and electronic cues and alarms were disregarded and there was “a general lack of leadership” which led to the grounding of the Guardian.

In a 160-page report, US Pacific Fleet Adm. Cecil Haney said the crew had “failed to adhere to prudent, safe and sound navigation principles” that could have prevented the accident.

Haney said the tragic mishap was “the product of poor voyage planning, poor execution and unfortunate circumstances.”