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Duterte congratulates Cimatu, says people enjoying white sand at Manila Bay
By MA. ANGELICA GARCIA,GMA NewsPresident Rodrigo Duterte on Monday congratulated Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on the developments in the Manila Bay, the recent of which is the placement of white dolomite sand on a stretch of the baywalk.
"Let us begin by congratulating Secretary Cimatu. You know I remember that meeting I think everybody was there when I said 'Kaya mong linisin to?' And the answer was very curtly given," Duterte said.
"He said, ‘Kaya.’ People now are really enjoying the reclaimed area with the white sand maski na papaano," he added.
Duterte said critics would always find fault with what the government is doing.
"Wala naman tayo magawa. You do it, may masabi sila," Duterte said.
Earlier, environmentalists and fisherfolk groups criticized the project, calling it an artificial rehabilitation and a waste of money.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources placed 500 tons of crushed dolomite to beautify and rehabilitate a stretch of Manila Bay’s shoreline close to the Baywalk strip along Roxas Boulevard.
The dolomite used to beautify the coastline of Manila Bay was not a health hazard in its bulk state, the Department of Health (DOH) has clarified amid warnings by some sectors that crushed dolomite could pose respiratory risks.
Mass gathering at Manila Bay
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Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire flagged the activity which showed people under 21 years old and senior citizens, who are prohibited from going outside due to vulnerabilities to COVID-19, flocking the area without observance of social distancing.
Aside from foregoing physical distancing, some of those who went at the bay reportedly had no face masks or face shields.
The Manila Bay “white sand” beach was opened to the public over the weekend to mark the International Coastal Cleanup Day led by the DENR.
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police chief Police General Camilo Pancratius Cascolan said the police was not the only one at fault for the failure to observe social distancing at the bay.
Cascolan said what happened should be a less for everybody. He also emphasized that command responsibility is being observed in the police force, which was also the reason why Ermita Police chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caramoan was removed from his position.
The area was closed on Monday for continued rehabilitation work, and authorities banned picture taking even from the footbridge overlooking the Manila Bay Sands.
Nationwide, cases of COVID-19 hit 290,190 on Monday with 230,233 recoveries and 4,999 deaths. -NB, GMA News