Philippines to continue probe on Tubbataha damage

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine government said today that it will continue investigating the grounding of the minesweeper USS Guardian off Tubbataha Reef even if the US military has already relieved the ship's officers and crew for failing to adhere to standard navigation procedures.

"We respect the decision of the relief of the officers and crew members by the US Navy. This is apart from our own independent investigation on the grounding of the vessel being conducted by the maritime casualty investigation team. Our independent investigation team is ongoing and we'll come up with its own results," Foreign Affairs Spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing.

Salvage work on the USS Guardian, which got stuck on the reef off Sulu Sea while on its way to another port call, was completed over the weekend.

The US warship's damage to the reef, a U.N. world heritage site, covered an area over 4,000 square meters.

The US government has offered compensation to the Philippine government for the damage caused by the minesweeper on the reef, which has been pegged close to P100 million ($2.44 million).