IATF to discuss filing of raps over dolomite beach crowd —Galvez

The Inter-Agency Task Force will discuss the possibility of filing of charges against Environment officials due to the overcrowding at Manila Bay’s dolomite beach over the weekend, NTF chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said Wednesday.

Families during the weekend continued to visit the dolomite beach amid a more relaxed COVID-19 restrictions in the National Capital Region.

“We will discuss this [with] IATF. I will raise this coming Thursday meeting… we will try to see kung sino talaga ang may responsibility,” Galvez said in an interview on CNN.

Galvez said he believes the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will try to correct the lapses.

“Talagang nakita natin na we accept that we have lapses and I believe DENR will try to correct this one,” Galvez said.

(We accept that we had lapses and I believe the DENR will try to correct them.)

“At that same time dapat i-notice ang IATF so that we can control this superspreader event na nakita natin na talagang very disappointing,” he added.

(At that same time, the IATF must be given notice so that we can control this superspreader event because we saw that it was very disappointing.)

He also apologized to the public in behalf of the IATF.

“We apologize, the IATF, we apologize on what really happened sa beaches… because of the lockdown that we have done in August and September, nakita talaga namin ‘yung eagerness to go out,” he said.

(We, the IATF, we apologize for what happened on the beaches. Because of the lockdowns in August and September, we saw the eagerness of people to go out.)

After refusing to close down the beach despite the overcrowding, the DENR said it will implement a "cinema approach" in receiving visitors.

It also said that children 11 years old and below will not be allowed entry.

The Philippines on Tuesday reported 4,393 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the nationwide tally to 2,765,672 and active cases to 53,642. —LBG, GMA News