Full disclosure requested on Manila Bay White Sand Project

BETTER VIEW Passersby can’t help but take photos and videos of the Manila Bay “white sand” project, as it generated controversy over its environmental issues. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines – An environmental group on Monday urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Public Works and Roads (DPWH) to fully disclose the studies and results of the consultations they had carried out before proceeding. to develop a white sand beach on the rocky shore of Manila Bay.

In a statement, the EcoWaste Coalition said that the DENR and DPWH should make public all information about the steps they had taken that led to the government’s decision to spend P389 million in taxpayer money to build the man-made beach.

Pending disclosure, the group said, the two departments should stop developing the project, given evidence showing that dolomite, a type of calcium-magnesium carbonate mineral pulverized to make artificial white sand, can cause respiratory diseases and is categorized as a potential carcinogen.

Public health hazard

“As the public has a right to know, we urge DENR and DPWH to post on their websites all relevant documents that provide an environmental, health, legal and financial justification to carry out this beautification project,” said Aileen Lucero. , national representative of the coalition. coordinator.

In particular, Lucero said that the two agencies must demonstrate that “they have considered the potential damage to marine and coastal ecosystems and human health, and how much [taxpayer] Money will be needed for ongoing monitoring, maintenance and replenishment of the ‘white sand’ beach, which could be used to truly rehabilitate Manila Bay and to support the poor who depend on it for their livelihoods. “

Two US contractors have warned about the danger of dolomite to public health.

In a 2012 safety data sheet, Texas dealer and builder Lehigh Hanson Inc. warned that dolomite could cause skin and eye irritation as well as cancer and lung damage through prolonged or repeated exposures.

Lhoist North America, in its 2018 safety data sheet, warned that dolomite contains crystalline silica, classified as a potential carcinogen when inhaled by humans.

“Inhaling silica can also cause a chronic lung disorder, silicosis,” Lhoist said.

Maritime affairs expert and University of the Philippines law professor Jay Batongbacal said on Sunday that the warnings from the two US companies could be grounds for filing a request for a remedy from kalikasan, a legal recourse to stop potentially harmful projects. For the enviroment.

DOH defends DENR

But the Department of Health (DOH) defended DENR on Monday, saying the agency would not have gone ahead with the project if it had known it would harm the environment and people.

The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, acknowledged the safety warnings, but said that people would not immediately suffer these “minor” health effects just by going to the 500-meter stretch of the coast of Manila Bay that is covered with powdered dolomite.

Since DENR gave the project the green light, Vergeire said, DOH believed the agency did due diligence before proceeding with it.

“The DENR would not have implemented this if it had not studied that this will harm the environment and our people,” Vergeire said.

On Sunday, Vice President Leni Robredo criticized the project as “insensitive” and “insulting” as P389 million were being invested when that money could have been spent to help thousands of poor families who had lost their livelihood due to coronavirus lockdowns. .

The Archdiocese of Manila joined opposition to the project on Monday, saying the project “did not respond to the needs of the poor.”

“These days, a lot of people are unemployed. They have no food. Now [the government is] spending more than P300 million on white sand, ”said Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator for the archdiocese. “Yes [the] DENR has money, which should be used to buy food and [provision of] job [to] persons.”

Soil erosion prevention.

Malacañang, however, continued to defend the project, saying that the P389 million were part of DENR’s 2020 budget.

“This beach upgrade is not just for beautification. This improvement of the beach is to prevent soil erosion and help control flooding, ”said presidential spokesman Harry Roque at a press conference.

“[I]It is part of a general policy of adaptation of the DENR ”, he added.

–With reporting from Jovic Yee, Jodee A. Agoncillo, and Julie M. Aurelio

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