House Inquiry Summons Roy Cimatu to Account for P349M Artificial Shoreline
The enduring controversy surrounding the Manila Bay Dolomite Beach Project is set to be scrutinized by the Philippine House of Representatives, with the committee on public accounts announcing it will summon former Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to testify. The legislative probe aims to unravel the origins, justification, and fiscal integrity of the much-debated initiative, which saw the overlaying of crushed dolomite on a segment of the bay’s natural shoreline.
Bicol Saro Representative Terry Ridon, who chairs the powerful Committee on Public Accounts, confirmed the planned summoning this Saturday. Ridon stated that Cimatu, who headed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) during the project’s inception, holds the ultimate responsibility for the contentious project.
“As DENR secretary, he had ultimate responsibility for the Manila Bay rehabilitation, including the origination and implementation of the Manila Bay dolomite beach project,” Ridon explained. The inquiry is scheduled to commence on November 17 and will focus on several critical questions that have plagued the project since its 2020 launch under the Duterte administration.
🧐 The Core Questions: Master Plan, Mandamus, and Public Funds
The decision to summon the former cabinet official stems from profound concerns regarding the project’s compliance with established environmental planning and fiscal prudence.
Deviation from the Master Plan
A central point of contention is the project’s exclusion from the comprehensive Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan. This document serves as the foundational blueprint for the multi-agency effort to restore and protect the vital ecological area. Ridon intends to press Cimatu on how the P349-million project—an expenditure dedicated to aesthetic “beach nourishment”—was initiated and allowed to proceed despite this glaring omission from the officially sanctioned rehabilitation strategy. Critics have long argued that the focus should have been on addressing the chronic problems of sewage contamination and industrial pollution rather than superficial beautification.
Consistency with Supreme Court Mandamus
Furthermore, the inquiry will delve into the project’s legality in the context of the Supreme Court’s continuing mandamus on the Manila Bay rehabilitation. This landmark ruling mandates all concerned government agencies to expedite the cleanup, restoration, and preservation of the bay’s waters. Ridon wants Cimatu to clarify whether the dumping of crushed dolomite, a material foreign to the bay’s ecosystem, was consistent with or undermined the spirit and requirements of the judicial order, which fundamentally seeks ecological restoration.
Fiscal Scrutiny and Timing
The House inquiry’s primary objective, according to Ridon, is to ensure that public funds were properly utilized and that the project aligned with the broader objectives of the government’s Manila Bay rehabilitation program. The timing of the project’s implementation, launched in September 2020, has only amplified public skepticism. This was a period when the Duterte government was aggressively claiming insufficient funds to mount an effective and comprehensive response to the devastating public health and economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The allocation of P349 million for an aesthetic project during a national emergency raised serious ethical and fiscal questions that the committee is determined to address.
🔬 Environmental Concerns and Long-Term Impact
The project, which saw the overlaying of a portion of Roxas Boulevard with crushed white dolomite shipped from Cebu province, has been a lightning rod for criticism from environmental and academic groups since its inauguration.
Under Cimatu’s tenure, the DENR repeatedly defended the use of the material, arguing it was harmless and was meant to provide a buffer against coastal erosion while offering mental health benefits to pandemic-weary citizens.
However, environmental groups consistently questioned:
Ecological Soundness: Concerns were raised regarding the potential impact of the crushed dolomite on the existing marine ecosystem, particularly the benthic organisms and water quality, and the high-energy coastal environment’s ability to retain the fine material.
Transparency: The process of procurement and the selection of dolomite as the material of choice lacked the transparency demanded by a project of this scale and public interest.
Long-Term Viability: Experts argued that beach nourishment using such fine material in a high-traffic urban bay would necessitate continuous and costly replenishment, turning the project into a perpetual drain on public resources rather than a sustainable rehabilitation effort.
The inquiry is expected to call upon experts to weigh the scientific merits of the DENR’s claims against the ecological realities of the bay, thereby assessing the long-term wisdom of the government’s investment.
🤝 Beyond Administration: A Mandate for Accountability
Crucially, Representative Ridon clarified that the impending inquiry is not intended as a partisan attack on the previous Duterte administration. Instead, he framed the committee’s actions as being fully aligned with the current Marcos administration’s directive to scrutinize projects that may have worsened flooding or were otherwise wasteful. The initial focus of the public accounts committee under the new administration has been on reviewing infrastructure and coastal projects that may have exacerbated environmental problems or led to misuse of public funds.
By subjecting the dolomite beach project to an open, non-partisan audit of public funds and policy decisions, the House aims to establish a clear precedent for accountability in environmental governance. The summoning of Secretary Cimatu is intended to hold a key figure responsible for providing a comprehensive and detailed account of the project’s initiation, justification, and execution, moving beyond political rhetoric to focus on budgetary and environmental facts.
The investigation promises to be a critical legislative exercise in determining whether the P349-million outlay achieved its stated public objectives or merely amounted to an aesthetically pleasing, yet ecologically questionable and fiscally dubious, political spectacle. The committee’s findings could pave the way for future policy changes ensuring that all rehabilitation projects strictly adhere to both ecological sustainability standards and mandated national master plans.