Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Tuesday, Oct 26, has called on the government to file charges against Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials for the overcrowding at the Manila Bay dolomite beach.
In an ANC Headstart interview, Domagoso appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to address the matter.
This, after thousands of people were seen at the Manila Bay Dolomite beach over the weekend.
"I'm challenging agencies of government under IATF to file charges in violation sa mga kapwa nila nasa national government. Ang irony kasi diyan, sila ang nagpapatupad, sila din ang lumalabag (to their fellow in the national government. The irony is that, they are the ones who are supposed to enforce (the law)but they are also the ones who are violating it)," Domagoso said.
"Charge those people in DENR for violating our rules. If they cannot implement it within their offices, then there is no point implementing it sa mga taongbayan (to the public). Pinahihirapan natin ang taumbayan pero ang unang naglalabag ay tayo ring nasa national government (We are giving the public a hard time but those violating are those in the national government). It doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t add up," he reiterated.
The Manila mayor stressed that minimum health standards such as physical distancing were not observed in the area, as well as the implementation of prohibiting children in the premises.
He added that the number of people going to the dolomite beach can be a "super spreader.” "Yesterday, during our directional meeting with the department heads of Manila. I called the attention of the Manila Police District and the Department of Public Services (DPS) to tell DENR that they might be violating all protocols issued by the same national agencies which they are a member of," Domagoso said.
He said the jurisdiction of the dolomite beach is under the DENR even if Manila Bay is located in the capital city due to its ongoing rehabilitation project.
"I hope this is not just a lip service that they are doing now, that they should file cases against these people, their colleagues, among themselves, because they are the ones violating their own order," he added.
The Department of Health on Monday also said the influx of people in Manila Bay's dolomite beach over the weekend is a violation of rules set by the IATF.
On Tuesday, the DENR announced that children aged 12 and below will no longer be allowed in the man-made beach.
“The DENR is overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and interest of the public to visit the recently-opened Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach as shown by the big number of people in the beach area since it opened on October 16,” the agency said.