(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES)
MANILA, Philippines — The government will have to shell out funds every year to maintain the Manila Bay white sand beach project, the director of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) said Thursday.
UP MSI Director Laura David said that this type of beach project requires maintenance as the artificial material being used on such projects only lasts for a certain time.
“All over the world naman po, ang mga reclamation na ganito, dapat mine-maintain. Hindi siya pangmatagalan. May mga lugar na kada taon, nilalagyan ng bagong materyales. May mga lugar na hanggang limang taon umaabot. Pero ganito lang po talaga ang lifespan ng ganitong type ng reclamation,” she said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.
(All over the world, reclamation projects like this have to be maintained. This will not last long. There are places where every year, new materials brought in. There are areas where these materials last for five year. This is really the lifespan of this type of reclamation.)
Asked if this means then that the government will have to shell out funds for the maintenance of the project every year, David replied: “Opo. Sa Miami Beach po, every year $5 millions ang ginagastos nila para punuan parati.”
(Yes. In Miami Beach, they spend $5 million dollars a year.)
David also stressed that the government’s priority in improving the state of Manila Bay should be water sanitation instead of the white sand project made from crushed dolomite.
“Pag binalikan po kasi natin ang mandamus, ang priority po talaga is water sanitation, so waste water treatment, pag-aayos ng sewage para pagandahin ang quality ng karagatan sa Manila Bay. Wala po kasi doon sa listahan ang beautification muna kasi mas marami pa po dapat paglaanan ang pera para maayos ang Manila Bay,” she said.
(If we will look at the mandamus, the priority is water sanitation, wastewater management, and on the sewage so that the quality of water at the Manila Bay will improve. There is nothing there about beautification, because there are other efforts initiatives where funds should be alloted.)
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