VERA Files
A sea vessel, two excavators, and other tools used for the rehabilitation of the bay were also edited out of the original image and digitally covered with sand.
The Manila Bay “white sand” project did not go through an environmental impact assessment, according to an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental and Management Bureau (DENR-EMB).
Multiple sources state the palm-shaped offshore island, a product of land reclamation, was made using sea sand and rocks.
The possible presence of toxic heavy metals and silica dust in the crushed dolomite rocks dumped at the Manila Baywalk may cause cancer, respiratory and kidney problems and subsequently weaken the immune system, a toxicologist had warned.