After 1 year, Tubbataha Reef not fully healed from US warship accident

After one year, Tubbataha Reef has yet to fully recover from the accidental grounding of a US warship in the area, the reef's management lamented over the weekend.

The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park management said that while algae had covered the area destroyed by the USS Guardian, justice "remains unserved" as the US has yet to pay for the damage.

"The proliferation of algae may have made the scar disappear but the wounds have not fully healed. There is a long wait ahead for the once productive area to recover," it said.

It was referring to the grounding scars from the USS Guardian, which it said were "barely discernible" as of October 2013.

But it said this was not because the corals have grown back, but because algae have completely colonized the damaged area.

"A year after the tragic grounding of the USS Guardian in the Tubbataha Reef, justice remains unserved," the reef's management said.

On January 17, 2013, the USS Guardian hit reefs in South Atoll of the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, causing a costly two-month salvage operation.

The tragedy damaged 2,345.67 square meters of the reef area.

The Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board (TPAMB) said it informed the US Embassy, the US Navy and the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the violations committed against the Tubbataha Law and the corresponding penalties.

"For the violation of the Law (RA 10067), the TPAMB is levying a fine of $1.4 million (P58.3 million) for coral damage and other violations. These include infringement of Section 19 (Unauthorized entry), Section 20 (Damages to the reef), Section 21 (Non-payment of conservation fees), Section 26g (Destroying, disturbing resources) and Section 30 (Obstruction of Law Enforcement Officers) of RA 10067," it said.

Also, it said repeated commitments on the settlement of the fine were expressed by the US government through the media and through communications with the TPAMB.

However, it added a petition filed against the US government by other concerned groups has apparently stalled the process.

The reef management said the DFA claimed it would be prudent to wait until the petition on the Writ of Kalikasan is resolved before the claim is pursued to avoid legal and diplomatic issues. — LBG, GMA News