How did USS Guardian get into protected Tubbataha area? PNoy wants to know

How did a US warship with all its sophisticated equipment wander into a protected area like Tubbataha Reef? President Benigno Aquino III wants to know this even as efforts to get the USS Guardian out of the Tubbataha Reef area are underway one week after the minesweeper ran aground last Jan. 17. A report on government-run dzRB radio quoted Aquino, who is now in Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum, as asking “how did they get into a protected area.” He also noted the minesweeper’s navigation system had been expected to be “one of the most sophisticated.” The USS Guardian entered the Tubbataha Reef area last Jan. 17 and ran aground. The area is a UNESCO heritage site. On Friday, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said Task Force Tubbataha is working with the US Navy and a salvage firm from Singapore to remove the ship. Bishop speaks Meanwhile, Puerto Princesa Bishop Pedro Arigo said the US government must pay for the damage caused by the ship when it ran aground the reef, considered a UNESCO heritage site. “Whoever is responsible for that should pay for it and should be held liable,” Arigo said in an article posted Saturday on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site. “Our appeal is that the ship should be retrieved as soon as possible to prevent larger damage of the coral reefs. The government should exert all efforts not to aggravate the damage,” Arigo added. - VVP, GMA News