Activists gathered outside the Supreme Court compound here on Tuesday to remind the justices about a writ of kalikasan petition against the United States and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) for the 2013 destruction of a section of the Tubbataha Reef. The compound was surrounded by policemen when eight members of Tongtongan ti Umili (TTU) approached and held up handwritten slogans, calling for a ruling on the April 2013 petition filed by Kalikasan and other environmentalist groups, and two Catholic bishops. The petitioners have asked the court to grant to the government “primary and exclusive jurisdiction” over American officials they considered liable for the Jan. 17, 2013, destruction of the reef when a US Navy minesweeper ran aground, said Perry Mendoza, TTU spokesperson.

Carbeza, V., & Buenaobra, J. M. (2014, April 23). Militants remind SC justices about Tubbataha case. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A14.