Who says the dolomite beach at the Manila Bay is eroding?

For Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones, the dolomite sand are still there and the only reason why they appear missing is that the seawater is rising up.

Leones practically rejected the observations made by Oceana and the University of the Philippines (UP) Marine Science Institute, two institutions in marine science, that the multi-million dolomite beach in a small portion of the Manila Bay has been eroding.

"With due respect to them, maybe UP marine science has shown us a figure, wherein based on their satellite," said Leones in an ANC interview.

"They thought that the dolomite area is sinking. But the truth there is that, the dolomite is still there, the water is just rising up," he added.

Both the Oceana, an ocean conservation and advocacy organization, and the UP Marine Science Institute said the Dolomite beach had been submerging and eroding by hundreds of meters overtime.

But Leones maintained that while some of the portion of the "beach nourishment" submerges whenever the water level is rising, the dolomite beach remains once the seawater subsides.

"With the interventions we have installed in that area, we're confident that even during strong typhoons and strong waves, I think they cannot move the beach nourishment area or it cannot be eroded," Leones said.

"With the installation of the geo tubes and some geo interventions, I'm confident that the beach nourishment will not be affected by the strong typhoons. And we respect the findings of the non-government organizations," he added.

Leones also clarified that the sandbags and rocks placed on top of the Dolomite beach are only temporary "to protect the beach area" pending installation of permanent structures, such as tubes and textiles, there.

"Once we complete the work there, the sandbag will be removed there," he said.

If people also see them graving the controversial sand, Leones clarified, they are not adding dolomite sand in the beach area but are only "fixing" and "cleaning up."