An official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday maintained that the dolomite used as part of its beach nourishment project was not washed out but only covered by black sand due to recent heavy rains.
Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones said it is not true that the dolomite sand was already been washed out to sea.
He pointed out that the dolomite has been "washed in by black sand" but it is still intact.
"Ang two layers niyan ay regular black sand. Ang top layer ay dolomite. Yung water kapag nagkaroon ng malakas na wave, nadadala iyung black sand dun sa dolomite. (Those two layers are regular black sand. The top layer is dolomite. When there is a strong wave, the water will carry that black sand to the dolomite)," Leones said.
He also clarified that the washed in dolomite "will not be washed out to the sea because of the geo-engineering intervention we put on the project."
"Besides, the project is still with the contractor. They are still liable in conducting measures for the project," Leones explained.
"We stand by our statement that the dolomite sand is not being washed out, rather it is just being washed in. We assure the public that we will protect the people’s money," he added.