House to probe if Dolomite Beach a ‘necessary project’
The House of Representatives will start investigating issues surrounding the Manila Bay Dolomite Beach by the third week of November and focus on whether the project was necessary, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon said on Monday.
In a statement, Ridon said the House committee on public accounts, which he chairs, will check if the dolomite beach fits the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan and the Supreme Court (SC) writ of continuing mandamus on the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.
According to him, the hearing will also check if the project really caused flooding in adjacent areas within the City of Manila.
“The hearing will also examine the project’s flooding impact on adjacent Ermita–Malate areas, including the status of the Faura, Remedios, and Estero de San Antonio Abad drainage outfalls and any effects arising from the project’s engineering specifications,” Ridon said.
Invited agencies
“The committee will also look at available alternative interventions and solutions to further ‘clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay,’ and improve its water quality to make it fit for swimming, skin-diving, and other forms of contact recreation—the specific requirements under the Supreme Court’s continuing mandamus,” he added.
The following offices, Ridon said, will be invited to the hearing: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Economy, Planning and Development, Department of Public Works and Highways, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Manila City government.
On July 16, Ridon filed House Resolution No. 56, asking the House to check the controversial dolomite beach project due to environmental concerns that were supposedly disregarded by the past administration.
MMDA officials earlier said the artificial beachfront project along Roxas Boulevard, which was implemented during the Duterte administration, was one of the reasons behind flooding in Metro Manila.
According to Ridon, the dolomite project was not among the projects approved by the National Economic and Development Authority for the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Master Plan.
He called the beach a “cosmetic project” masquerading as rehabilitation.
