By Jelly F. Musico
MANILA, March 5 (PNA) – The National Museum and other concerned government agencies are now verifying the reported discovery of the sunken Japanese battleship Musashi by the group of Mr. Paul Allen of Microsoft, according to Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma on Thursday.
”The National Museum is working closely with all stakeholders to ensure that the provisions of our existing laws are enforced and complied with,” Coloma said in a press briefing in Malacanang.
Coloma said the discovery of an archeological artifact like the sunken Japanese battle ship is covered by Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009.
He said the National Museum is particularly coordinating with Romblon province, which is proximate to the Sibuyan Sea where the shipwreck was reportedly been found.
Coloma said the Philippine Coast Guard has also been tasked to assist the National Museum.
” We will await the verification being done now by the National Museum. They are the lead agency of government in doing what is needed regarding this development,” Coloma said.
According to reports, the search team of Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, found last Sunday the wreckage of the Japanese battleship off the Sibuyan waters where it sank during the World War II.
The battleship Musashi sank in October 1944 after it was repeatedly hit by torpedoes and bombs dropped by planes from allied aircraft carriers, killing almost half of its 2,400 crew members. (PNA)