Manila Bay’s White Sand and the Eviction of the Bay’s Families

In September 2020, the Philippine government with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) embarked on an “artificial beautification project:” applying ‘white sand’ onto Manila Bay to create a fake beach. The project aimed to “improve Filipinos’ mental health amid the [pandemic]” and “improve the beauty of the site,” according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. As the Manila Bulletin reports, the project will cost 389 million Philippine pesos. Many problems have arisen as the project continues. The ‘white sand’ has been reported as crushed dolomite, a mineral deemed dangerous with the potential to cause cancer in humans and damage marine habitats. For these reasons, a reported 45% of Filipinos do not support the project, and the DENR has ignored calls to suspend it. Moreover, the project makes over 200,000 families living near Manila Bay vulnerable, fearing their eviction in the middle of a global public health crisis for the sake of a cosmetic government scheme. Residents of Manila Bay have spoken out against their displacement and in defense of their living location: they feel that they play a crucial role in the rehabilitation of Manila Bay, having planted 1000 mangroves in the last decade, as well as continuously fishing out the Bay’s water lilies. President of local-level organization Jeorgie Tenolete stated that he “[hopes] the government will not only see [them] as polluters but as citizens … through our small initiatives and contributions … help in the rehabilitation of the .. Bay.” 

This beautification project exposes many issues with how the Philippine government prioritizes its spending, its citizens, and its problems. In the midst of a national emergency, with hospitals lacking COVID-19 supplies or beds and cases rising each day, they choose to put their money instead into a cosmetic distraction—essentially covering up a problem instead of fixing it at the source. There is also ignorance on the government’s part as to the resourcefulness and necessity of Manila Bay’s citizens, who do more to clean up the Bay than them. However, instead of supporting them, the government only sees their class and deems them obstacles to get rid of instead of essential components on the path to their rehabilitation goal as well as legitimate citizens of the area. It’s jarring to see how, despite pushback on so many levels—social, economic, environmental—the government decides to continue with the project, though it benefits almost no one. Arguably, they may be trying to cater to foreign audiences, trying to improve their surface image while ignoring the worsening of our national issues. If so, that exposes an entirely different issue regarding our government’s overconcern with how our nation is perceived from the outside, and how they would rather pretend everything is fine and cover up issues than admit our weaknesses.

Sources

1. https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/09/urban-poor-families-fear-eviction-due-to-ma…

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2. https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/05/is-dolomite-dangerous-to-humans/

3. https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/12/45-of-filipinos-against-manila-bay-white-sa…

4. https://www.rappler.com/nation/look-artificial-white-sand-beach-manila-b…