White Sands for Manila Bay Rehabilitation? Merely For Aesthetic Reasons and not Natural

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Greenpeace Philippines Campaigner Sonny Batungbacal on the dumping of synthetic white sand on Manila Bay: “Kung ang objective is to save Manila Bay by cleaning it up, putting materials on top of the uncleaned environment would not help.”

I appreciate that they want to beautify Manila Bay but at the expense of some islands in Cebu where they are extracting the white sand? Since white sand is not a natural feature of Manila Bay, this project is not sustainable. This is just a band aid and not real solutions to the environmental problem.

Manila Bay beautification in the middle of pandemic ? DENR dumping white sand on Manila bay to make it look like Boracay while we are on our way to be the first SEA country in the top 20 cases worldwide?

First of all, Manila Bay remains to be a cesspool. You can't see the "burak" underneath its waters but you can still smell it. Second, we have bigger and more pressing problems and that is the Covid-19 / Corona virus pandemic. Can we just divert the funds to it. Third, Manila Bay is still a cesspool even after making it look like Boracay, and humans should not dare swim in it.

It is not even sustainable. Environmentalist ba ang nag-isip nito? o isa na namang dating military general o taga Davao? Ang tanga nga eh. Ang alam ko dapat natural sa isang beach ang pagiging white sand nito. Hindi practical yung idea. Gastos na naman iyan imbes sa paglaban sa virus muna gamitin.

The environment impact of this kind of operation is worrying. Another non-essential project that is questionable on the environmental impact and senseless. Masabi lang na may accomplishment? Kahit sobrang unsustainable?

Sentosa Beach daw is still doing well, pero they forgot to factor in that the Philippines is well within typhoon paths, unlike Singapore. Aanurin lahat yan, kasama na ang Sangley airport. Parang mawawipe out din yan lalo na pag may bagyo... Iba pa naman ang hampas ng alon sa Manila bay pag malakas ang bagyo. Notorious ang storm surge diyan. Matiyempo lang na may bagyo na tumama sa Maynila, anod lahat yan.

Bakit ang contradictory nito?. White sand extraction tapos by DENR? I mean, since elementary, we are taught that this is wrong, right? Is this for the benefit of the environment, or is this just purely for aesthetic?

Kahit ilang tonelada pa na white sand ang itabon sa pampang ng manila bay, lilitaw at lilitaw pa rin ang natural black sand color nyan! Sayang ang pera!

It seems the DENR has misplaced (again) its priorities. Do we really need white sands around Manila Bay? Would it be better to just continue cleaning the surrounding areas, implement a centralized sewage and treatment facilities and let nature takes its course? Kabaliktaran naman ginagawa ng DENR, silting problems will arise from this pa.

Kung bawat isang turista kumuha ng sand sa isang lugar ay may effect ma yun. Pero multiply it hundreds or millions of times, ano na effect non sa lugar?

Why can't we just promote Manila Bay shores in their naturally dark color? Instead of making the sand white, let's just focus on ensuring that the water is clean and there are no destructive activities in the area.

The problem is not the sand but the pollution that Manila Bay is currently facing. STOP HARVESTING SAND (kahit pinulbos na bato pa yan) FROM OTHER PLACES JUST TO BEAUTIFY THIS DIRTY BAY.

Are we really sure that this is only for aesthetic or for the future development of Manila Bay or reclamation for a new CBD?

If that will not be contained by artificial means, that sand will just be washed away from the bay due to the normal process of erosion. Since Manila bay receives most of its sand from rivers, its normal for it to have black/gray sand.

In other words, mangingitim rin iyan Lalo na kung maruming burak pa rin ang nasa ilalim pati tubig ay kadiri.

Where the f*ck is the logic in this? It's quite unbelievable as to how idiotic this sounds.

I really doubt if this is the best thing DENR can do. What I see is their eye for tourism and not the environmental concerns they should be focusing.

If you want to restore Manila Bay to its pristine condition, then you should start with its tributaries. The strategy must be all-inclusive touching the aspect of solid waste, effluent management, ISF relocation, and habitat restoration. Hindi yung ganyang band-aid solution.

Start with reforestation, and cleaning programs for our rivers, streams, and creeks that end in the bay. You don't destroy one place to improve another.

The government should also work on decreasing the population of fecal coliforms especially E. coli to levels safe enough for swimming and other recreational water activities.

It would be useless if the microbial and chemical properties of Manila Bay are still hazardous to humans. What's the point of having a beautiful shoreline, if the water quality is toxic.

I think it's much better kung nagtanim na lang sana sila ng bakawan/mangrove. Imagine driving on Roxas Boulevard and seeing a lot of trees and birds plus its beneficial impact to the sea.

Absolutely unecessary! Mas need maibalik yung quality mg water kaysa gawing puti yung buhangin. What a waste of effort and taxpayers' money.

If only Manila knew how beautiful and amazing she was, a capital of outstanding architecture and overflowing culture. A city that introduced the Filipinos throughout the globe.

Manila was the Paris of the East.

The Roxas Boulevard and the Manila Bay was famous for its beautiful sunsets. A favorite spot for both foreigners and locals during the 60s.

Again, we know where this government's misplaced environmental and ecological protection priorities head into. Instead of protecting West Philippines Sea from escalating massive Chinese reclamation and island-building activities, it chooses first to make Manila Bay Boracay-like.

While several heavy equipment dumps white sand in the shores along Roxas Boulevard in Manila, WHERE THE HELL IS ISKO MORENO? WHY IS HE ALLOWING THIS?

The sand will be swept away by floods and tide in no time and add to the silting of Manila Bay. The only winners here are the sand contractor and the government officials who approved this.

About "WazzupPilipinas.com"

WazzupPilipinas.com is the fastest growing and most awarded blog and social media community that has transcended beyond online media. It has successfully collaborated with all forms of media namely print, radio and television making it the most diverse multimedia organization. The numerous collaborations with hundreds of brands and organizations as online media partner and brand ambassador makes WazzupPilipinas.com a truly successful advocate of everything about the Philippines, and even more since its support extends further to even international organizations including startups and SMEs that have made our country their second home.