THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has come under increasing pressure to revisit its controversial P400-million “white-sand” project in Manila Bay, with critics citing economic, health and legal implications.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday advised DENR officials to ensure that the project will last, while a civilian watchdog called out the department for allegedly violating its rules in exempting the project from obtaining an environmental compliance certificate.
Sen. Nancy Binay sought the project’s suspension on questions raised about health hazards from using dolomite—crushed rocks that mimic sand—while Sen. Risa Hontiveros was dismayed by the ill timing of the project amid the pandemic.
Gatchalian suggested to DENR officials involved in the multimillion project to make sure that the tons of sand supply dumped on the bay shores better “stay white.”
He said officials concerned could face an avalanche of charges if the Manila Bay white sand fades, resulting in waste of huge amount of public funds.
Gatchalian noted that the DENR itself confirmed nearly P400 million was allotted for the white-sand project, prompting criticism that the huge expense was ill-timed, as the government scrounges for funds to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. The project was approved before the Covid outbreak.
In a statement, Gatchalian acnowledged the good intention to “beautify the Manila Bay,” but added it was reasonable for taxpayers to expect that the government had at least thoroughly studied the project so the expense of public money is justified.
Health concern
In light of the health department’s warning of potential health hazards brought by the “white-sand project,” Senator Binay urged the DENR to immediately suspend the filling of synthetic white sands on Manila Bay’s shore.
The Department of Health on Monday confirmed that dolomite dust can cause adverse respiratory reactions, eye irritation and discomfort in the gastrointestinal system. Dolomite is a type of mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate.
“The use of dolomite as a substitute for white sand only means that the Manila Bay rehabilitation did not go through the right process or was studied well. There was no public consultation, no environmental clearance, the
EIA/EIS was done haphazardly, and the plan is not comprehensive,” Binay pointed out in a mix of English and Filipino.
According to the senator, the public deserved to be informed about the whole context of the project particularly its impact on the environment and public health.
Bad timing
At the same time, Hontiveros deplored the timing of the project amid the Covid contagion.
She wondered who was the “health expert” who suggested to the Duterte administration that the response to the pandemic is to dump white sand on Manila Bay’s shores.
This, even as Presidential spokesman Harry Roque was earlier reported contending that the Manila Bay beautification project will help ease the public’s anxieties amid reports of a rash of mental health problems in the pandemic.
ECC exemption
Also on Monday, former government official turned watchdog Terry Ridon said that by seeking an exemption from its own ECC regulations, DENR violated Presidential Decree No. 1586 (Environmental Impact Statement System Law) and DENR Administrative Order No. 2003-30, the agency’s own implementing rules and regulations governing environment compliance certificates.
According to Ridon, under PD No. 1586 and DAO No. 2003-30, projects that require an ECC are those located in Environmentally Critical Areas such as areas set aside as aesthetic potential tourist spots.
Executive Order No. 69, Series of 1999, designates portions of the waters in Manila Bay and its foreshore area as a special tourist zone.
“As such, there is absolutely no basis for the DENR to say that its project is not covered by ECC rules. The proponents should have applied and received an approved ECC before starting the project,” said Ridon on a statement.
SC Manila Bay Advisory panel
In Ridon’s view, this “presents a prima facie case for a Writ of Kalikasan in the Supreme Court, including a temporary environment protection order stopping the Manila Bay white-sand project.”
At the very least, the Supreme Court should intervene under its Manila Bay Advisory Committee (MBAC) led by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta, said Ridon.
The MBAC was reconstituted by the Chief Justice himself on December 19, 2019.
The committee is tasked to maintain the mandate of the continuing mandamus issued by the high court in 2008 and enable it to verify the reports of the government agencies tasked to clean up the Manila Bay.
The SC should be informed that DENR has not only violated its own rules, but also overstepped its mandate in Manila Bay, either based on SC’s continuing mandamus or President Duterte’s Manila Bay Task Force, Ridon added.
“Both bodies call for the cleanup, rehabilitation, restoration maintenance of the waters of Manila Bay to a level fit for swimming; and also to improve water quality through the reduction of coliform levels in all river systems and tributaries within Manila Bay.
“Both make no mention of a mandate to beautify a thin stretch of Manila Bay’s 190-kilometer coastline,” he said.
Groups react
Several groups are also calling on the DENR to stop dumping crushed dolomite in Manila Bay.
The latest to join the call to stop the project are members of Nilad Metro Manila Environmental Network who protest the dumping of the “white sand” and the reclamation of the coastline in the baywalk area.
The DENR, which earlier defended the project as a way to inspire the public to join the rehabilitation effort, was defended by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Roque.
But Nilad, in a statement, insists that it is “unnecessary, frivolous waste of public funds, and destructive to the environment.”
“The DENR is advised to conduct cleanup drives instead of pursuing this project. If the government is sincere in rehabilitating the bay, it should cancel all ongoing reclamation projects,” the group said.
Nilad, which has been organizing cleanup operations, vowed to continue mobilizing community groups in “protecting” Manila Bay.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the project should be suspended until its suitability and sustainability to the rehabilitation program are established.
The environmental and health issues raised by experts, environmental and fisherfolk groups are “more than enough basis” for the DENR to suspend the project, Fernando Hicap, national coordinator of Pamalakaya, said in a statement.
“Synthetic beautification is far from genuine rehabilitation. Not even a huge amount of ‘white sand’ can hide the deteriorating environment and ecosystem of Manila Bay, which small fishers endure through depleted daily fish catch,” Hicap said.
For its part, scientist group Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (Agham) said that the DENR’s “beach nourishment” project clearly shows that the objective of the government’s Manila Bay rehabilitation is “aesthetic in nature.”
Agham also warned of the geophysical hazard of the dump-filling project, which involves alien and synthetic materials.
“The coast along Manila Bay, in particular along Roxas Boulevard, is constantly subject to strong waves especially during typhoons when storm surges erode the coasts. Only a thin layer of these powdered dolomite rocks is overlayed on the beach, on top of existing black sand. This makes an enriched beach susceptible to coastal erosion, especially considering the number of typhoons in the country,” Jerwin Baure, Agham spokesman, added in a statement.
Hicap noted the DENR has admitted its deviation from the SC mandamus by branding its project as “beach nourishment,” when historically, such as in the United States, they were carried out as part of public works program, to combat soil erosion and protect land development.
The first beach nourishment project in the US was in 1922 at the Coney Island, New York. It is presently famous as part of the city’s amusement center, the group said.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes