DENR won’t stop ‘Manila Beach’ project despite criticism

WHITE SAND DUMP Children play on floating barriers placed near where controversial “white sand” is dumped on the coast of Manila Bay as part of a project to rehabilitate the heavily polluted body of water. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will not stop its controversial “white sand” beach project on a stretch of the coast of Manila Bay, despite criticism that the material from the Land being used poses health risks and that counterfeit sand will be removed over time, resulting in a great loss of public funds.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and other DENR officials defended the P389 million bill before the House appropriations committee on Tuesday, saying it was part of the government’s long-term efforts to rehabilitate the Bay of Manila, in compliance with an order of the Supreme Court.

“[The calls for a stop to the project] they are unfortunate. However, we believe we have adequately defended our position that the dumped material is not dangerous, as it has been used in many beach areas since 1996 and no problems have been reported, ”Cimatu said.

Budget hearing

Cimatu affirmed his position when he and other DENR officials clashed with House members to defend the P25.6 billion funding proposed by his agency for 2021.

The DENR has been the subject of public criticism, mainly expressed on social media, for dumping pulverized dolomite on a 120-meter stretch of the coastline of Manila Bay, adjacent to the US embassy.

According to Cimatu, the project will form a beach that will span 60 meters of that segment of the coastline of Manila Bay, which, he noted, is popular with tourists for its sunset.

Cimatu said that the dolomite dust particles used in the project were three times larger than the dust particles, posing a health hazard when inhaled.

He admitted that silica, which is present in powdered dolomite, can be dangerous if inhaled, but only during crushing and screening.

According to Cimatu, the “beach nutrition” project is a continuation of the Manila Bay rehabilitation, which was preceded by efforts to reduce pollution of the river water that flows into the bay, as well as by the drainage of the waters. nearby that were found clogged with garbage. DENR reportedly transported 3,500 metric tons of dolomite from a mining site in the city of Alcoy in Cebu province to the Manila International Container Terminal, some 4.5 kilometers from the project site.

Adverse public comments

Cavite’s representative, Elpidio Barzaga Jr., chairman of the House environment committee, spoke about adverse public comments, such as why the DENR was spending P389 million on an artificial sandy beach amid the coronavirus pandemic that had seen many poor Filipinos deprived of government aid due to alleged lack of funds.

In response, attorney Ernesto Adobo Jr., environment undersecretary for finance, said that the P389 million funding for the project was derived from President Duterte’s “contingency fund,” which was provided by the Department of Budget and Management. in 2019 for the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

“The DENR has complied with the directive to return 10 percent of our 2020 funding, which is approximately P1.069 billion, for the purpose of assisting in the COVID-19 response,” he said.

The House Minority Leader, Welcome Abante Jr., reminded DENR officials that without any effort to stop the dumping of garbage and dirty water into the tributaries of the Manila Bay River, all efforts, including the project of the “white beach”, they will simply go to waste.

“Probably the river with the worst level of contamination is the San Juan river, which will make that white beach turn black,” he said.

The representative of Buhay Lito Atienza, former mayor of Manila, said that turning the coast of Manila Bay into a tourist-friendly area by building an artificial sandy beach was nothing more than a “chimera” as the waters of the bay remained contaminated.

“We are appealing to DENR, do not deceive the people,” Atienza said in a statement.

He said the waters of Manila Bay would remain “impossible to swim in and deadly” as long as the two water concessionaires in Metro Manila, Maynilad Water Service Co. and Manila Water Co., fail to fulfill their obligation to the government to build a sewage treatment. plants to prevent sewage from flowing directly into the bay.

Dolomite costs only P28M

At the hearing, Jonas Leones, undersecretary of environment for priority programs, clarified that the actual amount used for dolomite was only P28 million and that the remaining funds would be used for the construction of other support structures, including “geo-interventions” supposedly intended to prevent artificial sand from being washed away.

He said the project was conceptualized in 2019 and was to be implemented in 2020, until it was overtaken by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Cleaning the San Juan River is part of the priority and we have some plans to clean the estuaries with the help of the [Department of Public Works and Highways, or DPWH]A coalition of environmental groups led by Oceana Philippines said Tuesday that the dumping of artificial sand off the coast of Manila Bay “must stop and the officials behind this project must be held accountable.”

The groups also asked the DENR, Congress, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Agriculture, the Office of Fisheries and the Mayor of Manila, Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, to investigate why the project went ahead despite violate at least five national laws.

“We condemn this project and it must be stopped as it has not been subjected to an environmental impact assessment or a consultative and participatory process in both Manila and Cebu regarding its environmental impact, thus violating various environmental laws,” the groups said. it’s a statement.

‘Good luck’

Domagoso, who has previously expressed support for the project, said he wished critics of the project “good health” and “good luck” in pursuing an investigation. In a radio interview Tuesday, Undersecretary for the Environment Benny Antiporda said that only a court order could stop the project. .

“Now we are still grateful to everyone who provided their own contributions to the project, some of them really were useful to us to improve what we are doing,” said Antiporda. “But [unless] the critics really have solid evidence [of potential environmental harm]So we don’t see any reason to discontinue the project ”. He said that the DENR and DPWH also had their own experts. The Department of Tourism (DOT) asked the public to support the project.

“We must not stop the Battle of Manila Bay. Let’s better support it, ”said Woodrow Maquiling Jr., DOT regional director, in a Facebook post.

–With reporting from DJ Yap, Krixia Subingsubing, Jodee A. Agoncillo, and Jerome Aning

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