Philippine Government Is Moving Mass Amounts of White Sand to Manila Bay to Cover Up Decades of Pollution

The heavily-polluted Manila Bay, renowned for its breathtaking sunset, is getting a long-overdue makeover—but not without controversy. 

The Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources is under fire for starting a “white sand” project in a stretch of the bay in the capital city of Manila. According to the department, the area has been plagued with environmental problems for decades, including deterioration of water quality, coastal erosion, and pollution caused by land-based human activities.  

“About 21 percent of the organic pollution load to Manila Bay came from the Pasig River basin, with 70 percent of this load derived from households,” the department said.

On Thursday, September 3, trucks began dumping tons of “white sand” on a baywalk along Roxas Boulevard near the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Benny Antiporda said in an interview with local media that he hopes to turn the underserved shores into a major tourist destination, akin to the popular resort island of Boracay.

"Here in Manila, we know that there are many who are poor. We will bring the white sand closer to them so it is like they are in Boracay even if they are just on Roxas Boulevard," Antiporda said.

The sand that runs along the 190-kilometer (118 miles) coastline is naturally grey. But the agency said it was importing crushed dolomite boulders from Cebu, an island also known for its pristine sandy beaches, to create the look of naturally-white sand. 

Antiporda told local news outlet The Inquirer that the project will cost Filipino taxpayers around 349 million Philippine pesos ($7.1 million). 

In defense of the project, the department said the white sand will "signify cleanliness" and inspire people to take care of the environment.

Due to decades of neglect, the department said the bay had become “polluted and its odor reeked.” 

“The bay that used to have an abundance of fish and sea creatures is now full of trash,” the department said in describing its plans for rehabilitation.

The Philippine Supreme Court issued a “mandamus” in December 2016, ordering 13 government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate and eventually preserve Manila Bay in order to make it “fit for swimming, skin-diving, and other forms of contact recreation.” 

Leading environmental lawyer Antonio Oposa, testifying in a Senate hearing on Manila Bay rehabilitation in May 2018, said at the time that the coastline was still filthy despite early efforts. 

“We have turned Manila Bay into a toilet bowl. We take a dump on it every day but we do not even flush it. Aren’t we so vulgar?” Oposa said. 

While some have expressed support for the white sand project, Filipino netizens said the beautification was unnecessary amid a worsening coronavirus outbreak when the government claimed it was bleeding money. 

Various environmental organizations slammed the government’s “sham and artificial” rehabilitation plan and told the environmental agency to work harder to address Manila Bay’s decade-old pollution problem.

Fisherfolk organization PAMALAKAYA, which has been fighting against the reclamation of Manila Bay, said the dumping of sand was “artificial rehabilitation focusing on aesthetic appearance rather than addressing the environmental degradation problems.”

“The DENR doesn’t have any concrete plan to restore the bay that it resorts to focus on external beautification which is actually a sham and artificial, instead of a genuine rehabilitation,” Fernando Hicap, chairman of PAMALAKAYA said.

Oceana Philippines said importing sand will destroy not only the natural ecosystem in the area but also the source of the white sand as well.

 “This will be a total waste of people’s money. It’s typhoon season and the currents are strong in Manila Bay. The sand will be simply washed away by the waves and will mix with the black sand which is the natural element of this part of Manila Bay,” Oceana Vice President Gloria Estenzo Ramos said in a statement.