Speaker asks: What is a US ship doing in Tubbataha?

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Tuesday expressed concern over two recent security-related events that continue to hog the national consciousness – the Atimonan tragedy and the American ship that ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef National Park.

“Those are two very worrisome events for all of us,” Belmonte told members of media hours before resumption of sessions.

On the U.S. Navy ship stuck at the Tubbataha Reef National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the House leader asked: “What is a U.S. navy ship doing in the area?”

At the same time, Belmonte said that since appropriate government agencies are now looking into the separate incidents, it is best to allow the said investigations to come to their appropriate conclusions.

“Let’s give them the chance to do what they are doing,” Belmonte said, adding that “definitely I am keeping an eye on those two very serious events.”

On the possibility of separate congressional inquiries into the said incidents, the House leader said he would not want to preempt the collective action or decision of the membership.

“It’s up to the House,” Belmonte said, expecting that any or some members could speak on the matter in plenary.

On Monday, Belmonte said the House has dropped in the meantime its plan to hold a congressional inquiry into the Atimonan, Quezon incident, which left 13 people dead;  and the grounding of US Navy vessel area in the protected Tubbataha reef in Palawan.

The military has also said that despite the Tubbataha incident, the Balikatan exercises between the Philippines and American armed forces would not be affected.

Various government agencies are trying to ascertain the impact of the incident to Tubbataha Reef, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and boasts of a high diversity of marine life.

The US Navy has "expressed regret" after the minesweeper USS Guardian ran aground and damaged Tubbataha Reef.

The US has blamed the mishap on wrong map navigational data that were used by the vessel. The US is undertaking efforts to extract the vessel.

A lawmaker said  the USS Guardian had ignored "no navigation" warnings when it sailed into the area.

Palawan Rep. Antonio Alvarez said the crew of the ship "wanted to take a quick dip in the reef famous for its pristine corals and clear waters and they should just admit it was an R-and-R (rest and recreation) gone wrong."