MANILA, Philippines–A 19-man team from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is sailing to Tubbataha Reef to closely assess the damage caused by the USS Guardian and determine what needs to be done to revive some of the “wounded” coral habitats. BFAR assistant director Benjamin Tabios, said the agency has deployed its marine [...]
The US Navy minesweeper that ran aground on a coral reef remained stuck at the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park for the second day on Friday but most of the US sailors had left the ship for safety reasons after initial efforts to free the vessel failed, the US Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement on Friday.
The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said that the incident at Tubbataha involving the Guardian raised more questions against the unhampered entry and permanent presence of US forces in the country under the VFA.
