source: www.news.yahoo.com
The
U.S. government has already vowed to dismantle a warship stuck in the
Philippines' Tubbataha reef, but at least one of its high-profile citizens
finds the idea absurd.
The
namesake son of real estate magnate Donald Trump thinks saving the $277-million
USS Guardian should be prioritized over saving the protected Philippine reef.
"This
is how stupid we are! $1/4 bil+ ho hum '@DRUDGE_REPORT: Navy to scrap $277
million ship to avoid scraping reef... http://drudge.tw/XSG79T'," Donald
Trump, Jr. posted on his Twitter account Thursday.
He
was reacting to a story published on the Washington Free Beacon about the U.S.
Navy's decision to cut up the minesweeper to prevent it from further damaging
the Tubbataha Reef.
Related
story: Stuck Minesweeper to Be Cut Into Pieces
Trump's
statements almost immediately drew reproach from his followers, Filipinos and
other netizens alike.
Most
of the reactions noted that the reef is an environmental treasure and is worth
more than the U.S. ship which ran aground earlier this month while on its way
to Palawan.
The
Tubbataha Reef was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and included in a
global list of Wetlands of International Importance in 1999.
"@DonaldJTrumpJr
A boat is more important than a coral reef?" a user called Adam Quirk
challenged.
Also
read: US Navy fined for 'illegal entry' at Philippine reef
Trump
was quick to respond: "@adamq112 not the whole reef but yes a 277mil boat
is more important than a 200x50 section of reef that has already been run
over."
"[T]he
whole reef was not destroyed just a chunk the size of a boat. That is not worth
277 million by any standard," he added.
He
also slammed the U.S. government's move to shoulder the cleanup cost.
"[P]lease
cleanup costs? The ship is 200 by 50 at most on the edge of a reef. it hit and
stopped give me a break 277 million," Trump tweeted.
Related
story: US not exempt from laws: Philippines' Aquino
Filipinos
took out on Trump more aggresively.
Controversial
cultural activist Carlos Celdran said: "@DonaldJTrumpJr @DRUDGE_REPORT
This is our natural resources. US should spend more than 277 million to repair
damage. Jeez. Asshole much?"
"Hijo
@DonaldJTrumpJr, before you criticize, you ought to ask yourself how in the
world did they even get there?" Twitter user @dudeinterrupted said.
Krizette
Chu said: "@DonaldJTrumpJr YOU ARE UR FATHER'S SON, DUMB ASS. The reef is
worth MORE THAN 200M. It Takes thousands of years to regenerate!"
"And
for your information, the TUBBATAHA is home to HALF OF THE WORLD's marine
species. Is it still expensive?" she added.
'Persona
non-grata'
Youth
group Anakbayan, meanwhile, urged President Benigno Aquino III to declare Trump
Jr., as well as all American military forces, "persona non grata."
"Trump
Jr.'s attitude towards the Tubbataha Reef reflects that of the U.S military and
government's general view towards the Philippines: as a colony. Thus their lack
of respect for our sovereignty and national heritage," Anakbayan national
chairperson Vencer Crisostomo said.
“In
the entire duration of Philippine-American relations, we have been treated as a
dumping ground of toxic wastes, a stockpile of nuclear weapons, a testing
ground of torture methods, and a source of women for U.S soldiers to
violate," he added.
"We
thus reiterate our call for a proactive approach to the issue of protecting our
national sovereignty. An apology is not enough," Kabataan Party-list
national president Terry Ridon said.
“In the entire duration of Philippine-American relations, we have been treated as a dumping ground of toxic wastes, a stockpile of nuclear weapons, a testing ground of torture methods, and a source of women for U.S soldiers to violate," he added."We thus reiterate our call for a proactive approach to the issue of protecting our national sovereignty. An apology is not enough," Kabataan Party-list national president Terry Ridon said."To prevent similar incidents from happening again, we must scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Mutual Defense Treaty, and expel the U.S military from our territory," he said further.
