An official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Thursday denied that the dolomite sand used in the Manila Bay beach nourishment project caused the fish kill incident off the waters of Baseco in Tondo.
Undersecretary Benny Antiporda showed a map of the Manila Bay to explain that the area where the fish kill occurred is too far from the beach nourishment project. Baseco is about five kilometers away from the Baywalk, and a breakwater divides these two areas, he said in a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
"Ang hangin natin ngayon ay habagat papunta sa Baywalk area along Roxas Boulevard. How does it happen na papunta sa Baywalk ang hangin at sa Baseco nakuha ang mga patay na isda? Dapat nasa pier o Baywalk napadpad ang mga patay na isda. (Our winds are now blowing towards the Baywalk area along Roxas Boulevard. How does it happen that the wind goes to the Baywalk and the dead fish ended up in Baseco? The dead fish should have been found near the pier or Baywalk)," Antiporda pointed out.
"Very erroneous 'yung allegation kasi if you will look at the distance talagang napakalayo. 'Yung direction din ng hangin, which is 'habagat,' hindi rin tumutugma sa lugar kung nasaan ang mga patay na isda. (The allegation is very erroneous because if you will look at the distance it is really very far. The direction of the wind, which is 'southwest,' also does not correspond to the place where the dead fish were)," he said.
Antiporda noted that almost the same period last year, a fish kill incident also occurred in the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park. The reason for the deaths of thousands of fish then was low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the water.
"We are not discounting the possibility of sabotage, we are still investigating. We are looking at the water quality kasi basically kapag may ganyang situation madalas cyanide ang ginagamit diyan. (basically when there is such a situation cyanide is often used there). But still we are giving it the benefit of the doubt because same thing happened last year," he said.
"We are not insinuating na may kriminal dito, but we are (also) not discounting na may ganoong moves na ngayon kasi these are desperate moves, desperate times. Ito na lang 'yung paraan nila para i-discredit ang beach nourishment project. (We are not insinuating that there are criminals here, but we are (also) not discounting that such moves can happen now because these are desperate moves, desperate times. This is just their (critics) way to discredit the beach nourishment project)," he added.