US pays $1.97 million to Philippines for damaged reef

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government said Wednesday it had received 87 million pesos ($1.97 million) from the United States to pay for damage caused by a U.S. Navy minesweeper to a protected reef two years ago.

Manila received the compensation last month for the damage that resulted from the grounding of the minesweeper USS Guardian at Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The statement said the money will help rehabilitate and protect the reef and enhance monitoring of the area to prevent a repeat of the incident.

It said that in addition, the U.S. government will assist the Philippine coast guard in upgrading its station at the reef.

The park management, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and marine experts said in a joint assessment that about 2,345 square meters (25,240 square feet) of corals were damaged.