Philippines trumpets handling of ‘USS Guardian’ incident

From the Mindanao Examiner (Feb 19): Philippines trumpets handling of ‘USS Guardian’ incident

Manila has trumpeted its handling and care of the Tubbataha Reef in the wake of the damage it sustained as a result of the grounding of the USS Guardian which ignored warning from park rangers that it was heading to the World Heritage Site.

The U.S. Navy minesweeper remains grounded since January 17 in Tubbataha Reef, but the Philippines said its prompt and proficient response to the unfortunate incident was enabled by an exemplary law, hailed by environmental experts as a model piece of legislation in coral reef conservation, and the presence of effective institutional mechanisms.

These mechanisms have since provided the accountable party clarity on its obligations under the law, as well as paved the way for efforts towards restoring the damaged area and that it is a testament to the country’s capability in upholding the values of the World Heritage Committee (WHC), according to a statement sent by the Department of Foreign Affairs to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

The Philippines sat in the World Heritage Committee from 1991 to 1997, and served in the Committee Bureau from 1992 to 1996.

The incident has brought to fore the Philippines’ capable stewardship of a World Heritage Site, and hopes to bring this competence to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee where it is seeking a seat for the term 2013 to 2017 at elections scheduled in November this year during the 38th Session of the UNESCO General Conference.

The DFA said the Philippines hopes that its experience in caring for World Heritage Sites will enhance the Committee’s effectiveness as it carries out its mandate of conserving nature and cultural priorities.

Tubbataha Reef was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. And in 2009, the Philippine government enacted the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Act (Republic Act 10067) and declared Tubbataha a protected area and mandated its protection and conservation through a no-take policy.

The law also created the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board, which counts as its members’ stakeholders from the national and local governments, and groups from the academe, civil society and the private sector, including the Philippine chapters of the World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International. The park’s day-to-day administration is supervised and directed by the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO).

The reef, which sits in the center of the Sulu Sea, is about 157 kilometers southeast of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan province and located within the Coral Triangle, an area of important biological and marine diversity.

Covering almost 97,030 hectares, it serves as a sanctuary for over 350 species of corals, almost 500 species of fish, and one of the few remaining colonies of breeding seabirds in the region.

Tubbataha park rangers said they tried to approach the ship to talk to its officers, but the crew instead went to battleship position forcing the Filipinos to back off. The arrogance of the officers and crew of the ship drew wild protests from various patriotic and environmental groups.

The 68-meter USS Guardian, which came from Subic Bay in Zambales province in Luzon Island, hit the protected atoll of Tubbataha Reef after ignoring warning from Filipino authorities that the ship is nearing the marine sanctuary.

DFA said since the grounding of the USS Guardian, the TMO has been ensuring the enforcement of the relevant provisions of Republic Act 10067, including the payment of fines and compensation for damages and added that it is also readying its resources, through its vast network of marine and conservation experts, for the assessment of the extent of the damage and subsequent restoration efforts.

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