What is now a pile of rubble could become one of the most picturesque tourist spots in Manila by the end of the year.
Though a stretch of the Roxas Boulevard sea wall in the city is still in shambles after being ravaged by a storm surge brought on by Typhoon “Pedring” on Sept. 27, the local and national government are now eyeing a new design that would act not only as a sea barrier but as a promenade to replace what was once the city’s famed bay walk area.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, with the approval of the Department of Public Works and Highways, has submitted to the Manila government a design for a double-layered seawall resembling a rectangular promenade surrounding a lagoon.
Based on the perspective submitted to the local government and posted on the MMDA website, the sea wall will retain its current height, but will become two parallel baywalks 10 feet away from each other and connected by Spanish-style bridges.
The Roxas Boulevard Seawall Promenade Project will measure 1.4 km according to the MMDA perspective. The original length of the sea wall is around 1.8 kilometers, said Manila city engineer Armando Andres. A leeway of around 20 km each flanks the proposed promenade, putting a space between the baywalk and the US Embassy on one side, and the baywalk and the Army/Navy club on the other.
The reconstruction of the baywalk is a joint effort between the national and local agencies—the DPWH will handle the sea wall, and the city engineering office will be in charge of the flooring of the promenade area, Andres said.
“We hope to finish repairs by the end of the year,” he added. The project, however, will cost more than the initial P30 million estimate.
Based on the MMDA architectural design, the new baywalk will be tourist-friendly, complete with decorative plants, benches, play facilities, fishing decks and rest rooms, in front of an expansive view of the famous Manila Bay sunset. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The proposed new seawall will be the first layer of defense from strong waves coming from Manila Bay during storms and other natural disasters. Built in accordance with the latest technology, it will be an improved structure that shall be stronger than the previous structure to withstand the buffeting waves,” said MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino in a statement on the agency’s website.
Though the government is set to make a newer, better sea wall, an official from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) attributed the damage to the unusually strong storm surge rather than infrastructure deficiency or flaw.
“There was a typhoon which enhanced the southwest monsoon, and it was high tide at around 9 a.m., leading to the storm surge at around 10 a.m.,” said Dr. Vicente Malano, acting Pagasa deputy administrator for operations and services at a media forum recently.
He said the last storm surge experienced on Manila Bay was in the 1970s, and the waves were only 1.13 meters high then. Pedring’s Manila Bay storm surge was around five meters high, he said.