Philippines takes China to UN

The Philippines says it has taken China to a UN tribunal to challenge its claims to territory in the South China Sea.
The Philippines will challenge China's claim to most of the South China Sea at a United Nations tribunal.
The row between Manila and Beijing erupted last April when government vessels from both sides faced off for several weeks at the Scarborough Shoal.
Foreign secretary Albert del Rosario says diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute have failed and the government has been left with no choice but to go to the UN:
"The Philippines has exhausted almost all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful negotiated settlement of its maritime disputes with China," he said.
"We hope that the arbitral proceedings shall bring the dispute to a durable solution."
Manila told Beijing's ambassador on Tuesday about the decision to take China to an arbitration tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

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Philippines fines US Navy for illegal entry

The Philippines has fined the US Navy for “unauthorized entry” after an American minesweeper went aground on Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Sulu Sea.
The Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board, of which WWF-Philippines is a member, was poised to send out the Notice of Violation informing the US government of its transgressions, including penalties, on Tuesday afternoon, said Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan, WWF-Philippines vice chairman and chief executive officer.
“The Notice of Violation basically includes the standard penalties,” including the P25,000 fine for each square meter of affected coral provided for under the law, Tan said.
Earlier, Tubbataha park superintendent Angelique Songco said the US government would also face administrative fines from P100,000 to P300,000 for its unauthorized entry to the protected area.
The 68-meter USS Guardian had been stuck in Tubbataha Reefs, a Unesco World Heritage Site, since Jan. 17.
The ship is part of the US naval fleet stationed in Japan which docked at the former American naval base in Subic Bay on Sunday for routine refueling, resupply, and rest and recreation.
It was scheduled to make a brief stop at Puerto Princesa before heading off to its next port of call in India when it grazed the reef and got stuck 128 kilometers off Palawan.
Songco said the US crew had not asked for permission from park managers to enter the marine sanctuary, as mandated under Republic Act No. 10067, or the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Act of 2009.
‘Reparations’
 
On top of that, she said the US government might be asked to pay between P300,000 and P1 million in “reparations” to the government for lost income from the impact of the accident on fish density.
But Tan said it would only be possible to arrive at an estimate of the damage until after the USS Guardian had been extricated from the reef.
“We cannot say how much was damaged until after the ship has been removed. In fact, we may not be able to do that until the northeast monsoon has passed,” he said, referring to cold winds blowing in from Siberia.
Tan said it may take weeks for Philippine authorities to arrive at a computation of the fines to be imposed on the US Navy.
“It’s difficult to make any estimates or projections because the damage could take a turn for the worse every day. One day it could be P10 million, then P20 million the next day,” he said.
Even so, officials formally informed the US Navy about the specific violations it committed.
The commander of the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, Vice Admiral Scott Swift, apologized for the incident in a statement from Japan on Sunday.
Apologies not enough
 
Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the US government was liable for  damages.
“Apologies are not enough. The damage has been done. Every day the USS Guardian sits on top of our protected reefs is a day too late as far as the damage being done is concerned. We have laws that explicitly express accountability on persons or entities found to have caused damage to the Tubbataha reef,” he said in a statement.
Lift ship
 
Palawan Gov. Abraham Mitra has urged the US Navy to plan and implement the retrieval of the USS Guardian with utmost care to avoid further damage to the reefs.
“My advice to them is please lift the boat and not drag it. They could probably use a crane,” Mitra said in a phone interview.
Mitra said he had been advised by a US Navy officer that the operation could take five to 10 days to complete. “They told me it depends on the weather, but I told them that rescue operations should be weatherproof,” said Mitra.
“The park has suffered physical damage, the extent of which cannot be accurately estimated at this time,” said Mitra who noted that the board would issue a second formal notice to determine how much fines must be paid.
Filipino divers arrived Tuesday morning in Tubbataha Reefs to assess the damage, Malacañang said Tuesday.
Both the Philippine Navy and US Navy have dispatched teams to conduct an assessment of the damage.
Baseline assessment
 
Before the US Navy would begin salvaging the USS Guardian, divers from the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy would go down the reef for a “baseline assessment,” said Undersecretary Abigail Valte, deputy presidential spokesperson.
“First, the US side will be assessing if there is any damage to the ship. On our part, before the actual salvage operation begins, Coast Guard and Navy divers will go down to gather information for a baseline assessment,” she said in a briefing.
The objectives were to gather data for baseline assessment and check any indication of oil spill, but so far there was no leak from the ship, Valte said.
After the USS Guardian shall have been salvaged, the divers would go down again “to gather more data” and compare the impact of the grounding before and after extrication, she said.
Transportation Secretary Joseph E.A. Abaya said on Monday the investigation of the grounding would not begin until after the ship had been salvaged.   With a report from AFP

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Davao floods force 37,000 to evacuate

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – As early as 12 midnight, flood waters in Jade Valley subdivision here started to rise.  By 2 AM, the water already rose to about four feet.
“It was really unexpected.  We were not able to save anything; we had only our clothes on,” Maritess Ricalde, 39, a mother of three, told davaotoday.com.
Just before they vacated for safety, the water level already reached their house’s second floor while all the computer units of their small internet shop were seen floating in the water.
The continuous light to moderate rains yesterday caused the alarming rise of water levels in the city.   “It’s just too many water in the river,” said Emmanuel Jaldon, chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council and Central 911 in an afternoon press briefing, January 20.
In a text message to davaotoday.com, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said there are already 20 evacuation centers as of 12 noon.
According to Ma. Luisa Bermudo, chief of the City Social Services and Development office, as of 3 PM January 20, there were already 7,438 household evacuees with 29,193 dependents.  Flood waters ravaged Maa, Matina Gravahan and Bankerohan in the first district; and Bacaca and Tigatto where the Jade Valley subdivision is located, in the second district.
“Good thing my husband woke up last night and heard our neighbors’ frantic calls,” said Edelyn Garcia, 44, a mother of two.
It was already 3 AM.  They immediately evacuated for safety, leaving all their belongings, including their two pet dogs.  Their car was submerged in the waters along with the numerous other private and public utility vehicles.
“We were caught unprepared.  The water level rose so fast.  It always floods here but not this worse,” said pregnant Ivy Mickey Mako, 22, also a resident of Jade Valley.
Luckily, no one was hurt or missing from the Garcias and Ricaldes.  Both of their families have experienced the flooding in this village in 2002.  But they said, what they experienced today was worse as the water level rose to about 10 feet.  Meanwhile, Mako’s nieces and nephews were still about to be rescued when she was interviewed.
“When the river swelled, we secured the kids away from the house to my older brother’s house in Ma-a,” said Jun Amoguis, a resident in Bankerohan Bridge junction for the last 30 years.
He shared that the flood started at 11 PM, January 19.  But at 2 AM, the level of water in the Bankerohan River already rose.   “We took all our things from the house to the highway,” he said.
Worst flood
“This is one of the worst floods (in Davao City) in terms of magnitude or volume of water,” Central 911’s Jaldon said.

A total of 1,620 families and 6,981 individuals were rescued: Tigatto-Jade Valley, 499 families or 1,792 individuals; Sangilangan, Maa, 120 families or 400 individuals; Lower Madapo, Bankerohan, 70 families or 200 individuals; El Rio in Bacaca, 336 families or 1,700 individuals; Gravahan, Bankerohan, 350 families or 1,600 individuals; Calle Plaque, Teachers village, Calinan, 84 families or 240 individuals and in San Rafael, Maa, 1,621 families or 450 individuals.
The Davao City Rescue Operations team is comprised by the Central 911, Red Cross volunteers and government troops.
The disaster has also forced authorities to suspend classes.
“We are suspending classes tomorrow, January 21, from Kinder to high school,” Mayor Duterte announced saying that they based the decision on the 24-hour public weather forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Pagasa said rains will continue for the next three days.  As of 5 AM, January 20, the tail-end of a cold front affects Northern Mindanao.  It forecasted that Mindanao will have cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers or thunderstorms.  It added, moderate to strong winds will prevail throughout the country while the coastal waters will be moderate to rough.
Department of Education-XI spokesperson Dodong Atillo told davaotoday.com that they are “suspending classes for both the public and private schools” as declared by Mayor Duterte.
“The situation in evacuation centers is chaotic and the immediate needs like food are immense.  So at this point, we are prioritizing the needs of children and the sick,” Sr. Noemi Degala, Marist missionary sister and convener of Balsa Mindanao.
For environmental rights group Panalipdan, Davao villages “do not have concrete disaster preparedness plan to reduce and manage the risks of climate-related disasters despite it having 404 flood-prone areas.”
Juland Suazo, Panalipdan’s public information officer said that “deforestation and land-use conversion are the main contributing factors” of the flooding.
“We urge the government and people to form community-based disaster response committees and conduct training especially on flood drill which is given less attention compared to earthquake drill,” Suazo said, adding that “each family must have a home flood plan.”
Meanwhile, in Davao del Norte, some 1,662 families or 8,193 individuals from the towns of Sto. Tomas, Kapalong and Asuncion have evacuated because of flooding, said Romulo Tagalo, Davao del Norte Province’s information officer.
As of 6 PM today, Governor Rodolfo del Rosario declared a state of emergency, canceling all classes from kinder to highschool.  One Ramon Ampong, 63, a resident of Sonlon village, was declared missing.

 By ACE R. MORANDANTE, JOHN RIZLE L. SALIGUMBA & MARILOU AGUIRRE-TUBURAN
Davao Today

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