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| Figure 1. Photo of the rehabilitation project of the Manila Bay (CNN) |
Manila Bay is one of the most famous landmarks here in the Philippines. Long ago, it was the tourist destination where Filipinos spend their quality time with their family, friends, loved ones and more. But due to the recklessness of the citizens, in recent years it started to get very dirty, polluted and contaminated. To return the beauty of the bay, continuing its effort to curb the pollution and start a rehabilitation, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) began laying out white sand made from crushed dolomite. But the question is, how does this affect marine and human life? Does it truly benefit the Philippines, and us, Filipinos?
The Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program launched in January 2019. Within the same year, part of the 2020 national project was allocated for the artificial beach project. The project has received support from the Manila city government led by Mayor Isko Moreno. Work on the artificial beach began as early as August 2020, when the government issued a permit to Philippine Mining Service Corporation to transport crushed dolomite from Alcoy, Cebu to Manila. When the Manila Bay Beach project came to wider public attention in 2020, the project has received countless criticisms from environment and heritage conservationist groups. Among these include the timing of the project which was implemented amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns of adverse environmental effects caused by dumping dolomite on the polluted bay. As of September 25, environment chief suspends dolomite mining operation Cebu as a source of the white sand. Consequently, the beach was first opened to the public from September 19 to 20, 2020. But after a while it was once again closed for further expansion.
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| Figure 2. People viewing the new Manila Bay (ABS-CBN) |
When the setting opened, the people were able to see a beautiful and picturesque view even from afar. For me, it is definitely a convenience to view the surroundings in this condition which, unlike last time where all you can see is garbage and pollution. However, the Department of Health (DOH) cautioned that the inhalation of the dolomite dust can cause respiratory issues, that can be a great risk for the people and fellow visitors. However, after the health department learned from the DENR that dolomite used for the artificial beach is two to five millimeters or 100 times bigger than dust, it released an advisory that dolomite used in the Manila Bay Beach won't pose serious health hazards since it won't get suspended in the air. The DENR has maintained that the dolomite used to create the beach poses no harm to the its natural ecosystem.
Even so, the dumping of this sand has been suspected as a possible cause for a fish kill on September 17, 2020 near the waters of the Baseco Compound. The DENR countered the claim, saying that the fish kill happened 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) away from the artificial beach, pointed out that the southwest monsoon is prevailing at that time and the presence of a breakwater between the site and adjacent waters of the beach. Cebu's Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) conducted a survey on coral reefs in Alcoy, Cebu. Its study concluded that corals in the 500 m2 (5,400 sq ft) area sustained damage due to heavy siltation caused by the mining of dolomite used for the Manila Bay project. The Cebu provincial government suspended mining and transport of dolomite on September 8 and launched an investigation. The municipality of Alcoy also agreed with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in stopping the local transport of dolomite pending resolution of the impasse on environmental impact monitoring and revenue sharing scheme.
Personally, I believe that the obvious route to take about this project is to postpone or halt it, for now. Although I understand that a lot of money has been drawn for this, we can’t just compromise the wellbeing of our people, the surrounding lands, and the marine ecosystems. There are still so many options to rehabilitate the site; it isn’t that much necessary to use artificial sand for this beautification. If the Filipinos could have been wise and disciplined in terms of the waste that can pollute this environment, we wouldn’t have had to actually deal with this dolomite to be crushed for the bay. Perhaps it’s such a good view to look at, but behind it, brings so much drawbacks to human and marine life.
References:
Abad (2020) "What is dolomite sand, and how will it affect Manila Bay?" https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/things-to-know-dolomite-sand-affect-manila-bay?fbclid=IwAR2FAsQF8mWeCS6jQ8smAnSKlhk-BfgKV_ISwoLEy6DeUlc6DmU15jJzHsQ Mawis-Aliston (2020) "Dolomite beyond Manila Bay" https://business.inquirer.net/308266/dolomite-beyond-manila-bay?fbclid=IwAR24z-KLFiPaZMsZfhKM6LcTYfMmUFT-3O__TK6QAvm33rOBNIgcflWRq-E
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