PNoy approves US Navy's plan to salvage ship

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III has already approved the United States Navy's plan to extricate the USS Guardian at the Tubbataha Reef, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Thursday.

Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, commander of PCG Palawan District and head of task force Tubbataha, said the President approved last night the salvage operations for the USS Guardian.

In an interview with radio dzMM, PCG commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena said: "Baka po kung maganda ang panahon baka sa Sunday o Monday e makapagsimula na sila, kasi 'yung prepositioning ng barko may take one or two days... and then siguro on the fourth day saka sila mag-start ng actual operations.”

The US Navy earlier said the “sectioning” of the USS Guardian in several parts appeared to be less destructive. Around 4000 square meters of the World Heritage Site has already been flattened.

Separately, Evangelista said the rigging of the four anchors and the pre-positioning of the Smit Borneo, a salvage ship, are still ongoing. He said the rigging might take two days because it has to be precise in order to prevent any further damage to the reef.

Soon after, heavy equipment like blowers, pumps and other tools will be transferred to the USS Guardian. By that time, containment barriers and safety nets will be put into place.

He added the initial ecological assessment before the operation was done yesterday but the PCG is still waiting for the results. Weather in Tubbataha is favorable today.

Representatives from the US coastguard had visited the PCG office to check on the ongoing operations.

Evangelista added the other crane ship, Jascon, is still in Singapore finalizing its contract. – with reports from Gretchen Malalad, ABS-CBN News

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Tubbataha incident 'embarrassing,' says ex-US envoy

MANILA – Former President Fidel V. Ramos said he finds it difficult to believe the US Navy's explanation about the USS Guardian running aground in the protected reef of Tubbataha.

“That’s a very poor mariner’s excuse even if you were just a small boat commander, but we are talking about a fleet commander…I think he got the wrong map. Fortunately, they were not the ancient maps of you know who,” said Ramos.

The former President was among the dignitaries at the talk of former US Ambassador to the Philippines John Negroponte on US foreign policy in the second Obama administration.

Negroponte considers the incident an embarrassment to the US.

“It needs to get unstuck both in the interest of good seamanship and the interest of the environment…The captain of the vessel certainly did not do what happened on purpose. It was obviously an accident, an unfortunate and you can say embarrassing accident, but it was not a deliberate act,” he said.

The incident has sparked calls for a review of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the United States and the Philippines.

But Negroponte doesn't see a willingness on the part of the US to reopen the VFA.

“The Visiting Forces Agreement, the good thing about it is that it provided a way in which American forces could visit but while operating entirely in full respect of Philippine sovereignty and not re-opening the issue of bases that were closed,” he said.

US-ASEAN ties

In his talk, Negroponte said he sees President Obama revitalizing even more the US alliance with Southeast Asia.

Negroponte said the President is more familiar with Asia than any part of the world.

“The President has now become accustomed to meeting annually with ASEAN leaders, I think that’s a good thing. Secretary Clinton has been coming to the regional forum every year. So those diplomatic exchanges need to be built upon, fortified and deepened,” he said.

Negroponte also referred to the rise of Asia as the political center of gravity in the world, with the Philippines benefiting from its overall economic growth.

“I think one thing that seems to be happening is that Southeast Asia is doing better.  There’s a lot of good things happening in this part of the world and I think the Philippines is benefitting from that. Also, I think our economy is poised to improve somewhat,” said Negroponte.

On China's territorial aggression and continued presence in Scarborough Shoal, Negroponte said the US hopes the conflict will be settled peacefully, but acknowledges a solution seems elusive.

President Obama's inaugural address pledged climate change goals.

Negroponte said the renewed focus on climate change is an opportunity for the US to engage china in a positive way.

Negroponte is in the Philippines for the second board meeting of the newly established US-Philippines Society, whose mission is to raise profile of the Philippines in America. -- ANC

source: abs-cbnnews.com

US Navy will answer for damage to Tubbataha - VFACOM

MANILA - The Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFACOM) said the Philippine government will demand an explanation from the US government and hold those responsible for the damage done to the Tubbataha Reef due to the grounding of a minesweeper in the World Heritage Site.

"[Sinasabi ng] VFA na sila ay dapat sumunod sa ating batas. So ito nga ang epekto ng VFA - sila ay dapat sumunod sa ating batas. Sila ay ating pinananagot," VFACOM Executive Director Edilberto Adan told ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda."

"They assured us they are cooperating with any action we will take. We are asserting our sovereignty here to make sure that accountability is established at kung ano man ang dapat panagutan, haharapin nila yan."

He denied crew members of the US Navy ship that ran aground beginning Thursday have been released. He said the rescued crew members were taken aboard another US ship but have remained in the country as investigations continue.

"Hindi accurate ang statement na iyon. Sila ay inilapat lamang sa mga rescue vessels na dumating dahil nga iyung ship ay floundering. Nandoon pa rin sila sa US ships na dumating," he said.

Adan was reacting to the claim of Clemente Bautista, Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment national coordinator, that the crew members have left the area without being probed.

The USS Guardian had come from a port call in Subic Bay and was on its way to Indonesia when it ran aground the Tubbataha Reef early morning Thursday. At least 10 meters of the coral reef have been damaged.

The US Navy blamed a faulty navigation chart data that may have misplaced the location of Tubbataha Reef for the grounding.

Lame

Bautista described the US Navy's explanation about the incident as "lame", citing the warship's supposed advanced capabilities.

"Ang USS Guardian ay kilala bilang isang may mahusay na navigation equipment at nakakapagtaka ay papuntang Indonesia ito. Eh pataas ang direction nila, hindi pababa," he said.

Militant group Kadamay also raised fears of a possible "cover-up" into the incident, citing the close ties between the US and the Philippines.

"Malacanang's preferred silence only leads us to believe of a highly possible cover-up in the investigation, and considering the overwhelming puppetry and subservience of the Aquino administration to the US government, and the latter's deeply-entrenched influence on the Philippine politics," Kadamay said in a statement.

Extrication underway

According to Adan, US and Philippine teams were already in the area to extricate the warship and prevent further damage to the corals at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The US Navy said that there has been no change on the ship's condition and there are no traces of an oil slick.

"Dalawa na ang salvage tugboats doon at meron isang darating na isang special purpose ship. Ang purpose nito is to control environmental damage kung sakaling may oil spill na tinatawag," he said.

Meanwhile, U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Scott Swift said he "greatly regret(s) any damage this incident has caused to the Tubbataha Reef"

"We know the significance of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and its importance as a World heritage Site. Its protection is vital, and we take seriously our obligations to protect and preserve the maritime environment," Swift said in a statement.

UNESCO declared the Tubbataha Reef a World Heritage Site in 1993. It covers 130,028 hectares and is home to thousands of marine species. – with ANC

source: abs-cbnnews.com