The United States government is ready to deliver a “satisfying” amount of money that will pay for damages caused by an American minesweeper when it ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef in January last year, according to US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg.
The envoy noted that the still undetermined amount “will satisfy both sides.”
“The US government has received the request,” he told students of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in Intramuros during a forum on Tuesday afternoon.
Goldberg said the incident involving the USS Guardian was a “terrible mistake” and that the American people were “sorry” for it.
The minesweeper got stuck for 73 days on a section of the Tubbataha Reef on the eastern coast of Palawan province. The ship was taken away from the area only it was dismantled piece by piece.
Filipino environmentalists placed the damage at $1.5 million.
According to Tubbataha Reefs Park superintendent Angelique Songco, the minesweeper damaged 2,345.67 square meters of the reef.
The reef is home to hundreds of species of fish and corals, including 11 species of sharks, 13 species of dolphins and whales and 100 species of birds. It serves as nesting place for hawksbill and green sea turtles.
The US Navy sacked four officers including the ship’s commander after the incident.
The United Nations has designated the reef as World Heritage Site after it was ascertained that more than 70 percent of the world’s coral species grow there.