The man-made beach along Manila Baywalk will be reopened to the public on June 12, coinciding with the celebration of the country’s 124th Independence Day, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Tuesday.
In a statement, the DENR said the reopening of the Manila Bay Dolomite Beach was initially scheduled in May but was moved as some infrastructures have yet to be finished in the area.
“We are excited to open the dolomite beach to the public again on June 12. This is the good legacy of the Duterte administration, that’s why we really aim to open it before President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s term ends,” said DENR Acting Secretary Jim Sampluna.
Several environmental groups have criticized the project, raising concerns on the effect on one's health of the crushed dolomite used as "white sands."
The DENR has since defended the project, saying concerned agencies and experts were consulted for it.
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Likewise, Malacañang said the P389-M dolomite beach project will help in flood control and prevent soil erosion.
The dolomite beach first opened to the public in September last year.
Meanwhile, DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs Jonas Leones said the 500-meter beach nourishment project “has withstood rains, typhoons and floods yet remains intact.”
“This proves that the dolomite beach, thanks to the assistance of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the other agencies, is stable and will prevail,” said Leones.
For his part, Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) Executive Director Jacob Meimban said the dolomite beach reopening is only for visitation, walking, and sunset viewing, and not yet for swimming as water quality is still not within the 100 most probable number per 100 milliliters (MPN/100 mL) standard fecal coliform level.
Meimban is positive that the water quality will further improve by the end of the year as one station in the dolomite beach is already at 920 MPN/100 mL coliform level, as of May 13.
Before the start of the rehabilitation efforts, waters near the Manila Baywalk have registered an average coliform level of 5.75 million MPN/100 mL, based on the MBCO’s data in 2019.
Once it reopens, the DENR said it will allow 1,500 to 3,500 persons at a given time inside the 500-meter span of the dolomite beach to ensure that minimum health protocols are strictly followed.
Online pre-registration to visit the man-made beach is not needed under Alert Level 1, according to Meimban, but he encouraged visitors to be fully vaccinated before their visit.
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