Group Tells Government: Rehabilitate, Don’t Claim Manila Bay

TO SAVE THE BAY A 500-meter stretch of the 190-kilometer shoreline of Manila Bay will be covered with sand derived from crushed dolomite in an attempt by the government to beautify the landscape and encourage the public to protect it. Environmental activists aren’t exactly happy. —RICHARD A. REYES

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Criticism of the government’s initiative to transform Manila Bay into an artificial white sand beach continues to mount.

Environmental group Oceana Philippines, in an official statement, expressed alarm over the project. They said it represented damage not only to Manila Bay, but also to the site from which the materials were obtained.

READ MORE: Critics See Red in Manila Bay’s ‘White Sand’ Makeover

“It is possible that the government is not only destroying the natural ecosystem of Manila Bay, but also the source of this white sand, ”said part of the Oceana statement.

“To cover the coast of Manila Bay with white sand, the government needs hundreds of tons of sand and this would have serious impacts on the coastal integrity of the source of this substrate,” they added.

Oceana Vice President and former CDN Digital columnist Gloria Estenzo Ramos was also quoted as saying the government should stop the recovery and use public funds wisely.

“This will be a total waste of people’s money. It is time for typhoons and strong waves in Manila Bay when there is a typhoon. The sand will simply be washed away by the waves and mix with the black sand, which is the natural feature of this part of Manila Bay, ”said Ramos.

Ramos also urged the Directorate of Biodiversity Management of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to intervene in the project.

Oceana said reclamation projects like the one carried out in Manila Bay must undergo an Environmental Impact Study process, and that proponents must also obtain the Certificate of Environmental Compliance before proceeding with actual implementation.

“Ironically, it is the DENR that does not seem to follow the requirements established by law,” added Ramos.

In a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, DENR on Thursday began pouring “white sand” into a 500-meter stretch of the bay’s naturally gray shoreline in Manila, near the Baywalk strip along Roxas Boulevard.

DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda clarified that the “sand” was actually made from crushed rocks of dolomite, a carbonate of calcium and magnesium, which were transported to Manila from the province of Cebu.

He then explained that the transportation of sand is illegal under the Republic Law No. 7942 or the Philippine Mining Law of 1995.

Later, in an interview with the Inquirer on Thursday, Antiporda could not immediately say where the dolomite was sourced, saying this aspect of the project was handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Antiporda said the “beach nutrition” project cost around P349 million. A supplemental bulletin issued by DPWH showed a higher figure of P397.9 million for “beach nutrition, coastal restoration and enhancement of the Manila Baywalk area.”

CDN Digital is still contacting DENR in Central Visayas for their comments as of this post. / bmjo

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