Malacañang has rejected "erroneous" reports that white sand has been used to fill the stretch of Manila Bay as part of its rehabilitation.
Citing information from the Department of Environment of Natural Resources (DENR), Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said crushed “dolomite boulders” are actually being used in the rehabilitation project.
"Per the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the report that 'white sand' is being used to fill the stretch of the baywalk is erroneous,” Roque.
“DENR added 'crushed dolomite boulders' would be utilized for the aforesaid project. This forms part of the cleaning up of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program with an allocated budget, which began even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
The Palace apparently found nothing wrong with the use of these materials for the Manila Bay makeover. The environment department earlier clarified that the dolomite boulders from Cebu were transported to Manila to fill the portion of the baywalk.
Some groups however criticized the government's plan to use alleged white sand for to boost the aesthetic look of Manila Bay instead of addressing actual environmental concerns.
Meanwhile, senators expressed divergent views on the DENR’s project.
Senator Joel Villanueva said Friday that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) could have spent its funds for projects that would actually protect the country's natural resources or were attuned to the current COVID-19 pandemic than investing on its "white sand" beach project along the Manila Bay.
Villanueva echoed public criticism on the DENR's plan to fill a 500-meter stretch of the baywalk with white sand.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, said he hopes that the DENR did its homework in terms of relevant research and consultation in pushing for the program.
"On the assumption that proper studies and consultations with experts, especially on its sustainability and effects on the environment, not to mention due diligence on the financial investment were made before its implementation, I would like to think that it is a worthwhile endeavor," Lacson opined
"Environmental protection cannot be achieved by mere aesthetics alone, and certainly not at the cost of sacrificing one area to preserve or make the other more pleasing. This will lead to further environmental degradation, if not fool-hardly and waste of resources in a time of great hunger and economic hardship," Villanueva said in a message to reporters when asked about the DENR project.
"Funds for this project could have been better spent in buying the needs of our students, or providing more assistance to displaced workers and OFWs," said the senator, who chairs the Senate committees on labor and higher education.
Groups had criticized the DENR's "beach nourishment" plan, which it said was part of the government's Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program. The program reportedly cost around P349 million.
Fisherfolk group Pamalakaya described the plan as "artificial rehabilitation focusing on aesthetic appearance rather than addressing the environmental degradation problems" of Manila Bay.
DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said that the project would serve as a campaign to tell the public that "it's about time for us na pangalagaan ang ating kapaligiran at panatilihin nating malinis (to take care of our environment and keep it clean)."
The “white sand”, he said, is made from crushed boulders of dolomite and shipped from Cebu, "will signify cleanliness". He added that the DENR also prepared "engineering interventions" to preserve and prevent its erosion.
Antiporda also related this to the COVID-19 pandemic and said that DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu believes that this pandemic is connected to the people's "carelessness" about the environment.