Manila Dolomite Beach

The Supreme Court of the Philippines issued a Writ of Continuing Mandamus in 2008, with the full resolution released in 2011, ordering government agencies and the private sector to rehabilitate Manila Bay to a condition that would make it safe for recreational activities, including swimming. Dolomite Beach is a project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It is a part of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program launched by Secretary Roy Cimatu in January 2019. It is an integral part of the integrated coastal zone management aimed at coastal defense of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation. Budget for the project was approved prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was allocated for the beach nourishment, coastal restoration and enhancement of the Manila Baywalk area. Works on the project began in August 2020, when the government issued a permit to Philippine Mining Service Corporation to transport crushed dolomite from Alcoy, Cebu to Manila. Dolomite mining operations were suspended by the DENR in September 2020. == Beach ==

Dolomite Beach was created through the process of beach nourishment, which is a common practice in the creation of beaches around the world. Upon the extraction of debris in the portion of the baywalk from the Manila Yacht Club to the United States Embassy in Manila, the project proponents dumped two layers of ordinary sand before overlaying it with crushed dolomite. The beach was first opened to the public from September 19 to 20, 2020. Afterwards, it was closed again for expansion. After the onslaught of Typhoon Vamco (Ulysses) in November, the beach was dumped with garbage, with the DENR denying reports that the dolomite was washed away, saying that black sand was washed in to the beach. After a series of typhoons in late 2020, the DENR replenished the beach with a new batch of crushed dolomite rock. A new coat of dolomite sand was laid over the beach in April 2021. On July 18, 2021, the beach was reopened to the public without an announcement. By September 2021, an entrance arch was installed bearing the name of the site: "Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach". The beach was opened again on October 17, 2021. The beach was reopened again on June 12, 2022, after it was closed again for expansion. In October 2022, the DENR declared the beach complete with no budget allocated for any potential development given for 2023. Design The beach nourishment project was carried out by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in coordination with the DENR and is a part of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation. The beach had a total planned length of , starting from the tip of the United States Embassy in Manila, and a width of from the starting from the shores of Manila Baywalk. The whole project, which consists of the beach nourishment, coastal restoration and enhancement of the Manila Baywalk area covers the whole area starting from the southernmost tip of the US Embassy up to the Breakwater of the Manila Yacht Club. The DPWH plans to build a new breakwater, in addition to geotubes, to protect the beach from storm surges and prevent the dolomite sands from washing out. The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) and the UP Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (UP IESM) said that dolomite sand will be washed out to sea by storm surges and intense rainfall. The DENR said that the project was not in the National Economic and Development Authority's list of infrastructure projects under the Manila Bay Sustainable Development Master Plan. == Impact ==

According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the project will benefit tourism, commerce and the environment. It will also protect coastal properties from erosion and storm surges and beach nourishment are preferred projects over hard beach stabilizing structures (such as seawalls and groynes). The laying of dolomite has been suspected as a possible cause for a fish kill on September 17, 2020, near the waters of the Baseco Compound. The DENR countered the claim, saying that the fish kill happened away from the beach and cited the prevalence of the southwest monsoon at that time, and the presence of a breakwater between the site and adjacent waters of the beach that prohibits the transfer of sand. As with other beach nourishment projects, the area can serve as additional habitat for a number of species such as sea turtles, as well as sea birds and beach flora. When the beach was first opened to the public, a flock of egrets were seen at the beach area. Environmental groups said that the required environmental impact studies were not done for the Dolomite Beach project. Environmental organization Oceana Philippines and fisherfolk organization Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) warned of the project's potential harm to the Manila Bay's environment, the natural ecosystem, and coastal integrity. By June 2022, two water quality monitoring stations near the beach registered lower fecal coliform levels – from 7,300 MPN/100mL to 1,700 MPN/100mL, and from 10,200 MPN/100mL to 2,100 MPN/100mL, respectively. The government discourages swimming on waters off the beach, however, as the waters' fecal coliform level is still far from the ideal 100 mpn/100ml. Flooding In July 2025, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority stated that the Dolomite Beach project exacerbated flooding in Metro Manila, stating that the Dolomite Beach blocked the key drainage systems of Faura, Remedios, and Estero de San Antonio Abad. During rains, water was made to pass through sewage system and had to be blocked before being discharged to the Dolomite Beach. The DENR said that it was looking for "science-based" methods to solving flooding in Metro Manila. In November 2025, after Typhoon Tino brought severe flooding in Metro Cebu, the Cebu City council and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said that dolomite quarrying in upland areas have resulted in environmental degradation that leads to flooding in lowland barangays. == Reception ==

The project has received support from the Manila city government led by Mayor Isko Moreno. President Rodrigo Duterte also voiced his support to the project. Likewise, Secretary Roy Cimatu, seeing the throngs of people during the September 2020 opening, said that the project received the overwhelming support of the general public. On its partial opening in September, people crowded the beach and the nearby area that physical distancing were not properly observed. Vloggers have been posting positive updates regarding the project, which DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda cited as an "effective way in informing the public" about the project. Among those targeted by the criticisms were the timing of the project, which was implemented amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and concerns of adverse environmental effects from the laying of dolomite on the polluted Manila Bay. Use of public funds Three senators also voiced their opposition to the project: Nancy Binay, Risa Hontiveros and Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan. Binay cited the lack of public consultation on the project, as well as the lack of study regarding the effects of the use of dolomite sands. Both Hontiveros and Pangilinan argued that the funds for the project should have been used on public health and relief goods instead. Akbayan filed a case with the Supreme Court to penalize the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for pursuing the project, but the petition was junked. Oceana Philippines said that the project "will be a total waste of people’s money". Laying of crushed dolomite The DENR's Mines and Geosciences Bureau approved the extraction of dolomite, while environment committee of the Cebu provincial board said it did not issue a permit to extract and transport dolomite to Manila Bay. The Cebu provincial board directed the Cebu Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office to investigate. The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute (MSI) disapproved of the laying of crushed dolomite sand for the creation of the beach, saying that this will not improve the water quality in Manila Bay and that a continuous replenishment of the sand would be expensive. The UP Institute of Biology said that using mangroves instead of crushed dolomite rock would be better for rehabilitation, adding that the International Union for Conservation of Nature prefers this as an effective nature-based solution. Undersecretary Antiporda did not agree with the suggestion of the UP Marine Science Institute, calling them paid hacks, and that being from a state university the state should not be paying them. Antiporda said that the government has paid UP "half a billion pesos" for consultations. Laura David, the director of UP MSI, said that the university charged the government just over 364 million pesos. Antiporda later apologized for his statement, calling UP's criticism "painful"; David accepted Antiporda's apology, and called the back and forth a "misunderstanding". Health Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire initially stated that inhaling dusts of the crushed dolomite would adversely affect the respiratory system. She added later that though dolomite in its bulk form is not a known health hazard, crushed dolomite are irritants that could cause "chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and coughing". Dolomite sand could also cause stomach pain and diarrhea if ingested. A toxicology expert from the University of the Philippine-Manila College of Medicine warned that crushed dolomite might contain toxic heavy metals and silica dust that may cause cancer, respiratory and kidney problems, and weakened immunity. In September 2020, fisherfolk organization Pamalakaya requested the DENR to suspend the project after the DENR suspended two dolomite mining companies in Alcoy, Cebu. The two mining firms that provided the dolomite for the Dolomite Beach, Dolomite Mining Corporation and the Philippine Mining Service Corporation, were also ordered to halt operations by Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. == Investigation ==

Representative Antonio Tinio of ACT Party-list supported the holding of a Congressional probe on the Manila Dolomite Beach project, stating in November 2025 that the investigation should include former President Rodrigo Duterte's role in spearheding the project. == See also ==