MANILA: Malacañang is committed to pursuing compensation for the damage made by a US ship that ran aground last year at Tubbataha Reef, a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.
The US government continues to withhold payment of the P58m ($1.3m) fine imposed by the Philippines for the grounding of the minesweeper USS Guardian in the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park that destroyed a large part of the marine reservation.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte repeated the statement of the Department of Foreign Affairs that the parties had achieved good discussions or progress on the issue of compensation but a “certain third party had filed a case before the Supreme Court.”
“At least, on our part, from what I understand, the OSG (Office of the Solicitor General) was able to file a comment when it was ordered to do so. So since there is a pending case it will be better for us not to comment on matters that fall under the petition that was filed,” Valte said over radio dzRB.
In April, various groups filed a case before the SC against officers of the vessel and asked that US military ships be barred from entering Philippine territory, among others, in the absence of clear environmental guidelines.
The court, however, has yet to rule on the petition.
Edilberto Adan, an officer of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the US, was earlier quoted in reports as saying that if not for “certain groups that think they can do more,” the Philippines would have already been compensated by the American government.
The Philippine star
