Criticisms on the government's beach nourishment project prompted hundreds of onlookers to take a peek at the Manila Bay white sand beachfront last weekend, according to an executive of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
It was not the DENR, but it was the critics who were the ones who "invited" the public, as they were triggered by their ramblings about the Manila Bay rehabilitation project, Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and LGU Concerns Benny Antiporda said in a radio interview Monday.
The public became eager to visit the area because of the wrongful accusations about the project. They just want to know if the government has been truly honest to the Filipinos, he added.
Antiporda explained that the DENR only allowed entry into the Manila Bay Sands for a limited number of people last Saturday and Sunday.
He said 50 persons were allowed at a time last Saturday, and increased to 80 persons at a time last Sunday, with each batch allowed to stay for approximately five minutes.
Physical distancing was strictly observed at the dolomite-covered area of Manila Bay, he assured, adding that the DENR has jurisdiction only on the entrance going to the white sand beach.
Antiporda said he personally came to the area to request the spectators to observe the government health protocols.
The area is now closed to the public for the Phase 2 of the beach nourishment project.