Dolomite in Manila Bay a big hit!

With so many people stuck in their respective homes due to the lockdown, there is no question that the so-called environmentalists who attacked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for bringing into the Manila Bay Rehabilitation effort dolomite “white sand” from Alcoy, Cebu. I submit that I was in the forefront of this effort as I was invited to the inauguration of Manila Yacht Club Commodore Mr. Bobby Joseph. I went to Manila as I have never been inside the Manila Yacht Club and it was time to go and visit.

I brought along with me my camera crew from MyTV to record this event for our televiewers in Cebu. This was the official launching of the rehabilitation of Manila Bay last Jan. 19, 2020 and I was able to interview Atty. Tony Oposa, a fellow Cebuano and environmental lawyer, who sued the various government agencies in the Supreme Court (SC) which led this cleanup event. We parked our car at the Manila Hotel and walked the three-kilometer length of Manila Bay to the Manila Yacht Club. It was the first time I did a long walk since my kidney transplant.

A few months back, I was invited to attend the inauguration of the solar plant that would clean up dirty water into Manila Bay. But I didn’t go. Then out of the blue when the environmentalist group learned that the DENR has placed dolomite sand along the Manila Bay walk. Suddenly many people go curious with the negatives proclaiming that dolomite sand is harmful to your lungs. But this issue was immediately addressed by DENR Sec. Roy Cimatu when he told a congressional hearing that dolomite granules, not white powdered sand, were ordered for Manila. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno was also seen answering questions by Karen Davila and he gave her a peace of his mind.

Well, last Friday, they officially opened the Manila Bay walk with the dolomite sand and as I wrote this in defense of Sec. Cimatu last week, what he has done was to bring the white beaches found in Boracay or Sta. Fe, Bantayan to Manila Bay so that the poor people of Manila who cannot afford that luxury would have them right on their doorstep in Manila Bay. Thanks to YouTube, so many bloggers went to Manila Bay to see for themselves the transformation of Manila Bay from a garbage dump into a beautiful white beach. The problem is that Yellowtard critics say that this project cost P389 million when it really cost onlyP28 million. There’s just too much black propaganda out there.

I also saw on YouTube bloggers walking along the dolomite sand and catching fish which was awesome to say the least and their remarks were live fish could never survive in basura. Yes, so many people went to Manila Bay that day as it was really the first time they saw the transition of Manila Bay into something worthy of viewing.

It was then that I read the news that the police station commander in charge of the Manila Bay area was sacked yesterday after crowds that gathered to see the newly opened beachfront featuring artificial white sand failed to observe social distancing amid the general community quarantine (GCQ). Lt. Col. Ariel Caramoan, commander of the Ermita police station, which has jurisdiction over Manila’s Bay walk, was relieved from his post by PNP chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan.

What can we say but this report is true and verifiable as so many videos of the place have been taken by bloggers. As mentioned, the PNP chief held Caramoan responsible for the botched implementation of minimum health protocols as shown in social media photos and videos of crowds swarming Roxas Boulevard early Saturday morning. But honestly, I don’t think that Caramoan could have predicted that hundreds of thousands would swarm into Manila Bay on Saturday and I don’t think he even had the number of men available to enforce medical discipline.

As Brig. Gen. Rolando Miranda, MPD director pointed out, “People were just too excited. Everybody wants to see the white sand.” The festive crowd spilled over to Roxas Boulevard, causing a brief traffic jam. For me the positive thing to happen because of this white sand project is that it is easier to spot if the garbage has returned to Manila Bay.

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