The government will surely asked the United States to pay for the destruction its vessel caused to UNESCO World Heritage Site Tubbataha Reef.

“Yes, I assume it is clearly in the Tubbataha Law, it is incumbent for government to file for such claim,” Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

Asked by GMA News Online if the US has given assurance that it will pay for the damages, Abaya said “as a responsible nation and state and a strong ally of the Philippines, I assume it goes without saying.”

The USS Guardian ran aground on the reef in Sulu Sea on Thursday on its way to Indonesia. It was supposed to proceed to East Timor for a training exercise, the US Navy said.

In 2005, the ship Rainbow Warrior of the environmental group Greenpeace also hit Tubbataha, damaging corals that covered a total area of 32 meters by 3 meters (105 x 10 feet) of the reef. Greenpeace paid a fine of 384,000 pesos (US$6,857) for the damage, according to a report in the group's website.

Meanwhile, the Philippine and US governments are focused on how to remove the vessel to prevent further damage.

"They made mention of the information of the possibility of bringing a heavy-lifting ship - a 1,000-ton capacity crane that if the ship couldn’t be tugged anymore, it will be literally be lifted via ship and put on board another ship," Abaya said.*with ABS-CBNNews.com