Lawmakers are urging the leadership of the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, into the suitability and sustainability of the Manila Bay rehabilitation program, even as an environmental lawyer revealed that proponents of the controversial beach “nourishment” project could face criminal and civil liabilities.
Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza, Probinsyano Ako Rep. Jose C. Singson Jr. and the Makabayan bloc branded the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) project “inappropriate and unnecessary at this time.”
The DENR started dumping crushed dolomite along Manila Baywalk to mimic white sand as part of Phase 1 of the project. The Palace has defended the project, saying it would benefit Filipinos’ “mental health,” while DENR said it would help discourage citizens from littering in Manila Bay.
Missing the solution
Atienza, a former secretary of the DENR, questioned agency’s ongoing dumping of synthetic white sand from crushed dolomite boulders onto the Baywalk area of Manila Bay.
“What good will covering the Baywalk with artificial sand do when the waters of Manila Bay remain as polluted as ever? Let us address the real problem. Up to now, the sewage lines of all households in Metro Manila still lead and empty out into the Manila Bay, instead of into the wastewater treatment facilities that the two water concessionaires—Maynilad Water Service Inc., and Manila Water Co.—should have built over the past 23 years,” he said.
“These two have continuously failed to deliver the wastewater treatment facilities, which they are obligated to build as part of their concession agreement with the government. But what’s worse is that since 1997 when the contract started, these two big corporations have been charging consumers for this non-existent service and even been able to borrow money from foreign banks on sovereign guarantee, in the name of the Filipino people,” Atienza added.
He stressed the waters of Manila Bay will remain polluted as long as the waters are not cleaned by the two water concessionaires.
Singson, for his part, said “The government should be prioritizing the health and safety of everyone amid the Covid-19 pandemic instead of spending on unnecessary beautification projects disguised to promote the mental health of a few who may be lucky enough to pass by the Manila Baywalk project vis-à-vis the general population of over a hundred million Filipinos. While this representation recognizes and puts equal value to the general well-being [e.g., physical, mental, social and emotional] of everyone, specific and/or surgical solutions to address the pandemic should be of the utmost importance.”
Makabayan bloc said an investigation must be conducted amid the people’s opposition, raising its impact to the environment, public health and judicious utilization of public funds.
Possible raps
Gloria Estenzo Ramos, vice president of oceans advocacy nongovernment organization Oceana Philippines asserted that proponents of the projects could be held liable for initiating the beach nourishment project.
Ramos said various cause-oriented groups and environmental advocates are stepping up the filing of a Writ of Kalikasan, not only to stop the Manila Bay Interagency Task Force from further dumping dolomite sand in Manila Bay but also hold the proponents and make them pay for damages.
“We will exert all remedies to stop this project,” said Ramos, who insisted that a number of laws were violated in pushing through with the beach nourishment project.
Envi Ombudsman
The environmental group Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan-PNE), meanwhile, called on the Environmental Ombudsman to look into the alleged irregularities in the controversial P389-million Manila Bay beach nourishment project.
“We urge the Environmental Ombudsman to immediately probe the alleged bloating of costs and cutting of regulatory corners in the Manila Bay dolomite dump,” Leon Dulce, national coordinator of Kalikasan PNE said in a news statement.
The Envi OMB team was established in 2013 to prioritize the prevention, investigation, adjudication, and prosecution of public officials that violate environmental laws and subsequently cause adverse environmental harm.
“This P389-million project represents just 0.83 percent of the entire P47-billion Manila Bay rehab program. The potential for large-scale corruption, dereliction of duty, and ecological harm is completely unacceptable in these times of pandemic crisis,” he said.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes