Coast Guard told to be more vigilant in guarding Phl waters

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Loren Legarda has urged the Philippine Coast Guard to be more vigilant in their duty after another foreign vessel destroyed local coral reefs when it ran aground within the country's territorial waters.

"It is lamentable that we have another incident of coral reef destruction caused by a foreign vessel... We may not be able to guard every inch of the entire coast and Philippine territorial waters, but we have to find ways to strengthen our capacities to guard and protect our marine environment," Legarda said in a statement.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council reported that the MV Unicorn Lodger, with 18 Vietnamese crew onboard, ran aground in the area of Sambauan Island, Maripipi, Biliran on Thursday night.

Further investigation on the incident is being conducted, but about 270 square meters of coral reef in the area was reportedly destroyed.

Legarda lamented that early in the year, the Tubbataha Reef, a World Heritage Site, was damaged after the USS Guardian of the American Navy and a Chinese fishing vessel ran aground there.

"Barely have our reefs recovered from that incident and here comes another foreign vessel, inflicting damages on our coral reefs in Maripipi," the lady senator said.

She claimed that investigations on such sea mishaps and deporting the culprits are "not the solution to the problem."

Beyond the investigations and the imposition of penalties, Legarda said authorities need to start focusing their efforts on preventive measures.

"No amount of penalties can immediately bring back the damaged corals that took decades to mature. Without corals, our food security will be threatened," Legarda said.

"Enough of the "slap on the hand" approach. We need more grit and teeth in the enforcement of both local and international laws," the senator added.