US to invite Phl officials to join Tubbataha probe

MANILA, Philippines - The United States (US) will invite officials of the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to participate in the probe on the grounding of the warship USS Guardian in Tubbataha Reef.

In a press briefing yesterday, Lt. Col. Jason Chamness, deputy chief of the Joint US Military Assistance Group, said the Philippine officials would be invited to their headquarters in Japan.

“They (US investigators) are bringing Philippine officials over and we are coordinating that and they will probably go back a couple more times as the investigation continues,” he added.

Chamness did not say when the probe would be completed. He, however, said the retrieval operations of the USS Guardian may be finished next month.

Asked if the crewmen of the USS Guardian would be slapped with administrative sanctions, US officials said they cannot speculate.

“They will be considering all things in it. If there is any violation of the uniformed code of military justice, I’m sure they will be handled in the appropriate manner.” Chamness said.

“I invite you to look at the uniformed code of military justice to see what is included in the code but to answer the question directly, that would be prejudging the investigation,” said Steve Weston of the US embassy’s political section.

US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. said they would help the Philippines rehabilitate the Tubbataha Reef, which is known for its extensive coral network.

“We have been working carefully with the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to remove the ship without additional damage to the reef,” Thomas said.

“We know honestly it will take years to repair that part of the reef,” he added.

The 1,300-ton, 68-meter-long USS Guardian ran aground in the reef’s south atoll last Jan. 17. 

 The US Navy has attributed the incident to “faulty navigation chart data” but some sectors believe it was caused by human error.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya earlier said he had been hearing theories that US sailors manning the ship might have had too much “rest and recreation” in Subic.

The reef spans 130,028 hectares and has been named a World Heritage Site.