DENR to hand over Boracay, Manila Bay rehabs to next leadership
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said Wednesday it will turn over to the incoming administration the programs to rehabilitate Boracay and Manila Bay.
In a release, DENR said its acting chief Jim Sampulna has formed a transition team to oversee the transfer of responsibilities to his successor. President-elect Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has yet to pick an environment secretary.
“We are ready. The documents have been prepared and will be presented to the next DENR secretary,” Sampulna said.
The efforts to rehabilitate Boracay island and Manila Bay are among the programs that will be handed over to the next DENR leadership.
Calling it a “cesspool,” President Rodrigo Duterte shut down the over-developed Boracay island for a six-month makeover in 2018. DENR said the “successful” rehabilitation of the tourist destination served as a model for the cleanup of Manila Bay.
DENR began the rehabilitation of the degraded waterway in 2019, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order. The environment department reported a decrease in coliform levels in several sampling stations.
In 2020, DENR transformed a stretch of Manila Bay’s shoreline into an artificial white sand beach made from crushed dolomite rocks. Officials said the move would help rehabilitate and protect coastal resources in the area, but scientists and environmentalists criticized the project as an expensive and temporary initiative that will not address the bay’s problems.
Disaster recovery, rehab
DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Jonas Leones said they will also propose the continuation of the Task Force Build Back Better. DENR chairs the TFBBB, which was directed by Duterte to ensure post-disaster rehabilitation efforts in typhoon-hit areas.
Leones added they will discuss with the incoming administration the strict implementation of environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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