DENR Secretary and Manila Bay Task Force Chair Roy A. Cimatu watches the sunset during his visit to the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach on Sunday, Oct. 17, a day after it was reopened to the public. Image from DENR Strategic Communication and Initiative Service
MANILA, Philippines — The government is eyeing to establish Manila Bay’s so-called dolomite beach as a “tourist spot” in a bid to revive businesses around the area, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Wednesday.
“Ganyan ang objective natin para muling mabuhay ang mga negosyo diyan sa Roxas Boulevard,” DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said in a Laging Handa public briefing.
(That is our objective, to revive the businesses along Roxas Boulevard.)
Antiporda said the support of the public on the project has been “overwhelming.”
“We are expecting na kung sakaling tuluyan nang maglaho itong pandemyang ito, muli nang magbabalik ang sigla dyan sa negosyo na ‘yan,” he said.
The controversial man-made beach has been reopened to the public on the first day of implementation of alert level 3 on Oct. 16.
The beach attraction, which earned criticisms from some sectors, is now guarded with white picket fence and an arch greeting visitors at the entrance. The beach was earlier ordered closed to complete the redevelopment.
Last year, the government put an overlay of artificial white sand on a part of the bay’s naturally gray shoreline, that is now being maintained to retain its “white sand” look and cleanliness in the area.
Antiporda assured that measures have been put in place to ensure that the risk of COVID-19 transmission along the area will be minimized amid concerns of it being a superspreader area.
He claimed that the opening of the beach would alleviate the public’s “anxiety” amid the pandemic.
“Isang malaking tulong itong dolomite beach na ito kaya binuksan na agad para kahit papaano ay makatulong sa atin sa gitna ng pandemya,” he said.
(This is a big help that is why it was reopened to help us in the midst of the pandemic.)
Malacañang last year said Manila Bay’s “white sand” makeover will give immeasurable benefit to Filipinos’ mental health.