By: Miguel Antonio R. Magrata
The DENR Metropolitan Environment Office-West (MEO-West), together with officials and staff of the DENR National Capital Region Administrative Division and Finance Division, led the 37th International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) at the Dolomite Beach in Ermita Manila on Saturday, 17th September 2022. www.ncr.denr.gov.ph
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) lead the coastal cleanup of Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach on September 17 and collected over 4,500 sacks of garbage. The event is one of eight DENR-led cleanup activities in Metro Manila in line with the observance of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day which is held annually every third Saturday of September.
Anchored on the theme "Fighting for Trash Free Seas-Pilipinas: Ending the Flow of Trash at the Source", the event was joined by over 4,000 volunteers from government, private organizations, and private individuals.
Miguel de Guzman and Ernie Penaredondo. PHilStarGlobal
DENR-Metropolitan Environment Office (MEO) West Officer-in-Charge Director Rodelina de Villa said that the garbage collected are mostly plastic wares, dried water hyacinth, and marine debris.
The DENR Central Office through the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) provided 3,000 of the 4,500 sacks and DENR-National Capital Region including DENR-MEO West supplied 1,500 trash bags.
While volunteers also came with their own garbage bags according to de Villa, the Manila City government, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine National Police (PNP), PNP-Maritime Group, and Philippine Coast Guard also supplied additional trash bags.
Maynilad Water Services Inc., Manila Water Company Inc., and the Dragon Boat Federation of the Philippines also participated in the event.
"This day is a call to action for every one of us to take part in keeping our coasts and beaches clean. We remain steadfast in our commitment to help the rehabilitation of Manila Bay. Patuloy kami sa aming Toka na aming naisasagawa sa pakikipagtulungan sa aming mga partners kaya naman lubos kaming nagapapasalamat sa DENR, DENR-NCR, LLDA, LWUA at MWSS. (We continue to pitch our part with the able help of our partners, DENR, DENR-NCR, LLDA, LWUA, and MWSS, to whom we extend our sincerest gratitude.)" says Jennifer delos Santos, Head of Manila Water's Advocacy and Research Department. Protection of water bodies has always been one of the key initiatives of Manila Water's environment advocacy, notably - Toka Toka which is the first and only environmental movement in the country that promoted proper management of wastewater in every household as an important share (or "toka") in reviving our rivers and waterways.
READ: Manila Water reaffirms commitment to protect water bodies during International Coastal Cleanup Day
"This initiative will help make our coastal area in Manila Bay better so that our tourists and visitors will see the beauty of the bay", college student Kendrick Lopez, 18, told Reuters during the event.
Meanwhile, de Villa said that the task of maintaining a clean coastal is big and daunting but bringing communities and people together to clean up beaches can make a difference as this was proven by the organizations and individuals that came together at the Baywalk Dolomite Beach. According to her, the Manila Baywalk exemplifies the required cooperation among all necessary sectors to address coastal garbage through targeted beach cleanup activities.
Data from the DENR-MEO West has shown that 147,939 sacks of solid waster, 83,109 sacks of hyacinth, and 2,224 sacks of marine debris have been collected throughout the cleanup activities conducted from July 12 to September 14.
The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) which came into existence more than 30 years ago is the world's largest, volunteer effort to clean up the marine environment. Volunteers around the world gather every year on local beaches, coasts, rivers, waterways and underwater dives to remove trash and record the information on the debris collected. The data collected serves as a powerful tool in better waste management policies and plans, product packaging designs and in stirring environmental consciousness among people. The first International Cleanup Day was organized by the Ocean Conservancy in 1986. Ever since its inception, there are over 6 million cleanup volunteers in more than 90 countries.
Here in the Philippines, the month of September was declared as National Cleanup Month by then President Fidel V. Ramos through Presidential Proclamation No. 244. This was later reinforced by the declaration of the third Saturday of September ICC day by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo through Presidential Proclamation No. 470 on September 15, 2003, in observance of the global coastal cleanup celebrations.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has already put its hand on maintaining coastal cleanliness since scaling up coastal and marine ecosystem is one of the priority programs of the Department. The DENR also finds ways to protect our oceans, disseminate facts about coastal management, causes and effects of ocean pollution and ways to mitigate ocean pollution. It is important that we protect our coastal and marine area as 80% of the more than 100 million Filipinos depend on fish for protein requirements.
The Philippines is rich in marine resources with nearly 36,400 km of coastline in the archipelago of more than 7,600 islands. However, according to a scientific online publication reported by the University of Oxford's Our World Data in April 2022, Philippines is the world's top polluter when it comes to releasing plastic waste into the ocean. This accounts for a third of the total.
"For such a small country, we ended up third in the world in terms of ocean plastic pollution", said Peachie Dioquino-Valera, an environmental activist. "We have a lot of good environmental laws here, it's just that we fail in carrying them out", she added.
READ: Plastic Pollution
Waters along the Manila Bay which is famous for its picturesque sunsets are heavily polluted by grease, oil and trash from nearby ports and residential areas. On December 18, 2008, the Supreme Court issued a writ of continuing mandamus directing 13 government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate and eventually preserve Manila Bay within 10 years. However, with a lot still to be accomplished, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other mandated agencies and partners have revised the Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy, giving themselves a 2013-2017 timeline. Roy A. Cimatu, the then DENR Secretary, on January 27, 2019, officially declared the start of Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program - Battle for Manila Bay in accordance to the Operational Plan for 2017-2022 timeline. The rehabilitation according to DENR will come in 3 phrases, namely: water quality improvement, rehabilitation and resettlement, and education and sustainment. DENR said it needs some P47 billion for all plans to pan out, and part of the program includes the project of creating Dolomite Beach.
The Dolomite Beach project, which began in the pandemic year 2020, had been promoted by the previous administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to sooth the mental health of Filipinos during the pandemic lockdowns. The then Secretary Cimatu said that the Dolomite Beach project received the overwhelming support of the public as during the September 2020 opening, people crowded at the beach and nearby areas that physical distancing were not properly observed.
For the 2022 International Coastal Cleanup Day, the Dolomite Beach highlighted the importance of such celebration - although its creation was seen by critics as an unnecessary costly project. The project costs a hefty P349 million and in May 2019, the DENR announced its plan to spend another staggering P265 million for the second phase of the beach nourishment project.
The Dolomite Beach project received criticisms not only from activists and heritage conservationist groups, but from environmentalists as well. Environmental organizations such as Oceana - the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation - emphasized the risks of dump-and-fill activities which was done to put in place the Dolomite Beach, would intensify Manila Bay's vulnerability to environmental hazards and extreme weather events like flooding, storm surges, land subsidence, and liquefaction.
In August 2022 when the heavy downpour and localized thunderstorms hits Metro Manila, several Manila roads experienced flooding, the Dolomite Beach has been blamed as the main cause. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting general manager and flood control director Baltazar Melgar was quick to clarify that flooding and the slow subsidence of floodwater was partly caused by three unfinished pumping stations and pipelines near Dolomite Beach. The three main drainage outposts have been closed due to repairs conducted by the Department of Public Works and highways (DPWH). However, for lawyer Rose Liza Eisma-Osorio, legal and policy director of Oceana, the decision to close the three pumping stations and pipelines all at once, considering the delays in construction and the rainy season, reflects the lack of foresight.
"According to experts, Manila Bay is also not safe for reclamation and similar coastal development activities due to the existence of many natural hazards, such as land subsidence (sinking), flooding and storm surges brought by stronger typhoons", Eisma-Osorio added.
The impacts of illegal dump-and-fill projects could endanger over 30 million people living in and near Manila Bay. Separate studies published in 2001, 2014, and 2018 found that the sea level in Manila Bay is rising at 13.24 mm per year, and it is sinking by the rate of 10 cm annually because of the over extraction of groundwater.
On September 9, 2022, images of Dolomite Beach covered with heaps of garbage caught the attention of some social media users and expressed dismay over how much budget was allocated to develop it in 2020 amid the surging COVID-19 cases at that time.
Edd Gumban. The Philippine STAR
"This only means that Dolomite Beach is such a waste of money. Definitely not the best solution to clean Manila Bay. It was all artificial. It was never a solution", one user commented.
In previous wet seasons, heavy rains have left the coastal of Dolomite Beach looks like a scraggly garbage dump with debris from floods, and its original black sand visible after layer of crushed dolomite rock was carried off into the bay.
Dolomite Beach continues to be a controversial tourist spot and has not been faring well since the government opened it to the public.
KEYWORDS:
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Manila Baywalk
Dolomite Beach
International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day
4,000 volunteers
Ocean plastic pollution
Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program - Battle for Manila Bay
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