Salvaged parts of USS Guardian to be sent to Japan

From InterAksyon (Mar 31): Salvaged parts of USS Guardian to be sent to Japan

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines - Salvaged parts of the decommissioned US Navy mine sweeper vessel, now referred to as Ex-USS Guardian, will be transported to the US Fleet Naval base in Japan, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Sunday.

According to Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista, Chief of PCG Palawan District, all of the four main parts of the USS Guardian are now loaded onto the S-7000 barge and officials are waiting for the manual debris cleanup to be completed before proceeding to Japan.

"The cut parts will be brought to Sasebo, Japan, where there is a US Navy Facility. Accordingly, they will then sort out the parts,” said Evangelista.

The still functional parts of the ship will be checked and repaired at the home port of the US Navy Pacific Fleet in San Diego, he added.

The manual debris clean-up is expected to be completed early next week.

Tubbataha Protected Area Supervisor Angelique Songco earlier told InterAksyon.com that on April 8, they will start the joint assessment of the Philippine and US authorities on the extent of the damage caused by the grounding of the USS Guardian on the Tubbataha Reef.

Both the Philippine Coast Guard and the Tubbataha Management Office are tightlipped about the terms of negotiations on how the US will be fined for damages to UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the Department of Foreign Affairs is the lead agency on matters concerning the compensation.

Meanwhile, fisherfolk and environmental groups on Monday asked President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to stop the transfer of the salvaged parts of USS Guardian to Japan until the U.S. government "has truthfully settled its obligations" arising from the grounding of the American minesweeper.

In a joint statement, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and Anakpawis partylist said Aquino through the Department of Foreign Affairs should first see to it that the following requirements are met before they proceed with the transfer of the ship to the U.S. homeport in Japan:
 
1) The US government will allow the extradition of military officials and the other 79 crew members of the USS Guardian to the Philippines to face criminal and other appropriate charges before the local court in connection with the grounding of the American minesweeper in the UNESCO declared heritage site.

2) The US government should immediately agree to urgent pullout of all US troops, warships and aircraft currently inside the Philippine territory to prevent another disaster and stop Washington from repeatedly violating the country's sovereign and territorial rights.

3) The US must agree to an independent investigation of the January 17 grounding of USS Guardian in Tubbataha. It should also get out of any assessment body that would look into the extent of damage caused by the American minesweeper to the protected national reef park.

4) The US government should agree to pay for the cost of a long-running rehabilitation of Tubbataha Reef.

5) The US government should not discourage the Philippine government or any Filipinos from filing criminal and other appropriate charges against the American state before the International Criminal Court (ICC) or International Court of Justice.

6) The US government should primarily consider the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Mutual Logistics and Support Agreement (MLSA) and the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the Philippine government to prevent Tubbataha like environmental disaster in the near future and to respect the sovereign rights of the Filipino people at all times.

"The 99 million Filipinos have a score to settle with US government and that is sovereignty, territorial integrity, social justice and rehabilitation. And all these concerns should be highly consider in dealing with Yankees in Washington D.C," said Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France and Fernando Hicap, vice chair of Anakpawis partylist.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/58314/salvaged-parts-of-uss-guardian-to-be-sent-to-japan