US payment for Tubbataha damage more than expected – DENR

MANILA, Philippines - The P87 million the US government promised to pay for the damage a US vessel inflicted on Tubbataha Reef had exceeded their expectation, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said yesterday.

Director Mundita Lim of the Biodiversity Management Bureau, an attached agency of the DENR, said the Protected Areas Management Bureau had requested for P58 million as compensation.

“We welcome that. The amount after all is being requested more for regular monitoring of the damaged area to make sure it recovers naturally, and not for active restoration which is not necessary in Tubbataha,” Lim said.

Lim said Tubbataha still maintains rich marine biodiversity that makes it more resilient than other coral reef areas.

“So for now, the amount seems sufficient for the identified purpose, and augments already existing efforts in the area. We just need to make sure the full amount is spent fully for the intended activities for the protection of Tubbataha,” she said.

US Ambassador Philip Goldberg said the Philippines and the US are nearing conclusion on the Tubbataha Reef agreement.

“We have been dealing with the government. As I understand the last hurdle here is to make sure that our agreement on the Philippine side is to their satisfaction but we’ve got an offer and we’re very near a conclusion to it,” Goldberg told reporters in an interview at the US embassy on Friday. – With Pia Lee-Brago