DENR maintains Manila Bay dolomite sand not being washed out

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Wednesday maintained that the dolomite sand overlay on the artificial beach strip in Manila Bay was not washed out but was only covered by black sand caused by recent rains.

DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs Jonas Leones made the clarification after news reports allegedly quoted him saying that “about 10 percent of the dolomite sand in Manila Bay has been swept to sea by the heavy rains.”

“There is no truth to the news reports that the dolomite sand has already been washed out to the sea,” he said in a statement.

He said that the dolomite sand is still intact and was only “washed” in by black sand.

He likewise maintained that the washed in dolomite “will not be washed out to the sea because of the geo-engineering intervention we put on the project.”

“Ang two layers niyan ay regular black sand. Ang top layer ay dolomite. Yung water kapag nagkaroon ng malakas na wave, nadadala iyung black sand dun sa dolomite,” Leones said.

(The two layers are regular black sand. The top layer is dolomite. When there are heavy rains, the black sand is being washed in.)

He added that the project is still with the contractor and they are still liable for conducting measures for the project.

“We stand by our statement that the dolomite sand is not being washed out, rather it is just being washed in.  We assure the public that we will protect the people’s money,” the DENR official said. [ac]