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MANILA, Philippines – The United States will share with the Philippines all its information on the grounding of the USS Guardian in Tubbataha and consult Manila before publishing the results of its probe into the incident.
US Secretary of State John Kerry made these assurances to Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario in a telephone conversation last night, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday, February 14.
“Secretary Kerry said that he himself wants to know and get to the bottom of what truly happened. In this context he said that he wants to be a full partner of the Philippines in finding out what happened and that the US government will cooperate fully with the investigation that the Philippines is conducting,” Del Rosario explained in a DFA statement.
The Americans, he added, are willing for US Navy high-ranking officials to “accept and answer queries” from Philippine investigators.
Del Rosario noted that Kerry “is also committed to sharing the findings of the US investigation and to consulting the Philippines and its experts before finalizing its investigation.”
“We both agreed that it is important to understand what happened and to take the necessary navigational safety measures to protect the reef and that would prevent other ships from grounding there,” the DFA chief said.
Kerry also told Del Rosario that the United States will fully cooperate with Philippine authorities in the salvage operation of the minesweeper and provide “appropriate” compensation for the damages to the reef.
America’s top diplomat also reiterated an official apology from the US government for the incident.
The USS Guardian ran aground on January 17 inside the protected area of the marine park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a paradise for scuba divers.
The salvage operation is currently suspended pending the arrival of a 2nd floating crane, which will help cut the ship into pieces and remove it section by section from the reef. – with reports from Carlos Santamaria/Rappler.com
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