Tubbataha ripped … again!

A popular idiomatic expression says: “Lightning never strikes twice at the same spot.” It appears this wasn’t the case in the latest incident of another ship getting stuck at the Tubbataha Reef. This time a Chinese fishing vessel ran aground at the same world heritage site, though at the opposite side where an American minesweeper got stuck for almost three months. 

Last Monday, a 48-meter Chinese fishing vessel hit Tubbataha at around 1.1 nautical miles from the park ranger station. The Chinese vessel Ming Long remains stuck in Tubbataha and the 12 suspected poachers aboard it have been taken by Philippine Coast Guard to Puerto Princesa where they will face charges.

“Grabe naman! Kakatapos lang ‘nung (USS) Guardian, meron na naman?” President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III reportedly exclaimed after being informed about the grounding of Chinese vessel in Tubbataha.

The same highly unlikely thing never happens to the same person or place twice. P-Noy’s instant, natural reaction should already ring alarm bells, especially for the people who are supposed to watch over our national territories. Former Coast Guard chief now retired Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo once said the Philippines “have all the coasts but no guard.”

Both the rangers of the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) and maritime law enforcement agencies were unable to detect the Chinese vessel before it ran aground the protected marine park. The TMO chief Angelique Songco was quoted saying their radar was turned off when the Chinese fishing vessel hit Tubbataha.

The Philippine Navy for its part admitted that it “cannot guard every nook and cranny of our maritime domain.”

Ships do not stay on guard in one area all the time, Col. Edgard Arevalo, Navy spokesman for West Philippine Sea issues, pointed out. The Tubbataha incident involving the Chinese fishing vessel though took place away from the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea being claimed by the Philippines and China.

Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, the errant Chinese fishing vessel was caught, not by any Philippine authorities, but by the corals of Tubbataha.

The latest incident comes at the heels of the USS Guardian that hit Tubbataha last January 17 and damaged at least 2,345 square meters of the reef. Salvage teams had to cut the moribund warship into so many pieces so it could be removed without further damaging Tubbataha, a protected World Heritage site of the UNESCO. It was only last March 29 when the last parts were lifted out. 

After salvage operations were completed, left behind were the ruined corals that had been ripped wide at the spot where the wooden-hulled USS Guardian got snagged. We could just imagine the damage that the steel-hulled Chinese fishing vessel would this time inflict upon the reefs.

The Tubbataha Reef Natural Marine Park in the Sulu Sea is one of the country’s protected areas that has the most extensive coral network. In fact, any swimming, snorkeling or diving activity in the park must first secure special permit from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The Tubbataha Reef is regarded as one of the best dive sites in the world, having two coral atolls that harbor a wide range of marine species including 600 species of fish, 360 species of corals, 11 species of sharks, 13 species of dolphins and whales, 100 species of birds and sea turtles.

That’s why it is a restricted area.

The National Mapping and Resources Information Authority indicates Tubbataha Reef as a “no navigation” area. But the 79 officers and crew of the USS Guardian, with all its modern radar and sonar system, could not explain why their minesweeper sailed to Tubbataha and consequently hit the reefs and got trapped there.

One suspicion is that the USS Guardian officers and men might have been on their R & R (rest and recreation) mode while sailing. We would never know what really happened. I guess the US policy of “neither confirm nor deny” applies also in this case in the same way they respond to questions whether their ships have nuclear weapons on board.

The Philippines, through the TMO, has billed the US government $1.4 million (P58 million) for damages caused to Tubbataha. The amount appears too paltry as penalty if compared to the irreparable damage to the corals that will take years to re-grow.

But the damages were computed based on Republic Act 10067, or the Tubbataha Reef National Park Act signed on April 7, 2010. The penalty provisions include jail and fines ranging from six months but not more than one year and P100,000 to P300,000 for unauthorized entry; administrative fine for damage to the reef at P12,000 per square meter; non-payment of conservation fee at P3,000 per person plus administrative fine of double the amount; imprisonment of three to six years, fines and confiscation of vessels, equipment or gears for destroying, disturbing resources.

In the case of the USS Guardian officers and crew, jail time is out of the question. The US Navy 7th Fleet had earlier announced the relief of the warship’s commander and three others for alleged failure to adhere to standard navigation procedures. With the USS Guardian de-commissioned unceremoniously, the four American naval officers and the rest of crew were reportedly reassigned.

Though no marine life was found on board the Chinese vessel, the TMO chief said the entry of foreign fishing vessels is “prima facie evidence they are engaged in fishing.” In addition to poaching, unauthorized entry and damage to the reefs, attempted bribery of public officials will also be filed against the Chinese nationals, TMO chief added. The Tubbataha park rangers reported that the Chinese nationals — who do not look like fishermen at all — allegedly tried to bribe them with $2,400.

While there are suspicions of spying, the latest incident is the seventh Chinese fishing vessel caught inside the Tubbataha Reef since 2002 based on the TMO record. No matter who they are, we should not allow our World Heritage national treasure like Tubbataha be ripped over and over again!