DILG spox: Budget for Manila Bay white sand project not from COVID-19 response fund

Department of the Interior and Local Government spokesman Jonathan Malaya assured the public Tuesday that the budget utilized for the Manila Bay white sand project was not obtained from the government's COVID-19 response fund.

At the Laging Handa press briefing, Malaya also clarified that only P28 million of the P389 million allocation for Manila Bay's rehabilitation and cleanup project was used for the crushed dolomite rocks, which will be used to beautify a stretch of the Manila Bay's shoreline.

"'Yun po kasing kinukwestiyon ng ilang sektor ay 'yung dolomite na ginagamit ngayon ng DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) para sa Manila Bay rehabilitation... ang sinasabi po nila 'yan daw pong cost ng dolomite na 'yan ay almost P400 million at ito po ay nasagot na mismo ng DENR sa budget hearing sa Kongreso at ang sinabi nga po nila the cost of this dolomite is only P28 million. Kasama na po diyan 'yung cost of material, the transportation, the taxes and all the fees para madala 'yan from Cebu to Manila Bay area," Malaya explained.

"Kung ang tatanungin naman po kung saan nanggaling ang pondong 'yan, hindi po 'yan kinuha sa COVID response kasi laging sinasabi itong pagpapaganda ng ating Manila Bay ay nakaapekto sa COVID response ng gobyerno... Ang pinagkunan po ng pondo para sa Manila Bay rehab ay 2019 general appropriations act, wala pa pong COVID ng panahong na 'yun," he added.

Malaya said the budget being used to address the COVID-19 pandemic came from the 2020 General Appropriations Act and from the Bayanihan Law.

"Papano po natin masasabi na di naapektuhan ang COVID-19 funds ng gobyerno? Dahil po ang pinagkunan ng COVID-19 response ay ang 2020 GAA at 'yung Bayanihan 1 Law and Bayanihan 2 Law. Wala pong kaugnayan 'yung GAA 2019 sa mga batas naman para sa ngayong taon..." Malaya said.

The DILG has been expressing support for the DENR's project despite criticisms due to its supposed threat to the environment and even to the public's health.

The said project was criticized by environmentalists and fisherfolk groups, saying that pouring white sand does not solve the pollution in the bay.

Progressive group Makabayan bloc even called for an investigation into the controversial project, citing the opposition of some concerned sectors to it.

The group cited civil and environmental organizations such as the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, Kalikasan People's Network for the Environment, Oceana, and Greenpeace who expressed concern over the project, noting its applicability and impact on the marine wildlife and natural ecosystem of Manila Bay.

Attorney Jay Batongbacal of the UP Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea had said critics of the project could file a writ of kalikasan before the Supreme Court in order to stop it.

DILG chief Eduardo Año earlier said the crushed dolomite is a common material used in beach nourishment in many parts of the country and the world.

He said the Department of Health has already clearly stated that the dolomite used in Baywalk is bigger than dust, which doesn’t get suspended in air, and therefore is not harmful to people. — RSJ, GMA News