DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered Wednesday, October 27, the relief of the Manila Bay Task Force commander amid the issue on overcrowding and violation of health protocols at the Dolomite Beach over the weekend.
Cimatu said Manila Baywalk Coordinating Office deputy executive director Jacob Meimban will be replaced by retired general Reuel Sorilla.
He said the primary task of Sorilla is to supervise crowd control at the Dolomite Beach and ensure the observance of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health protocols.
Cimatu said the DENR is investigating the incident at the beach on October 24, when 121,000 visitors gathered at the area, resulting in the violation of health protocols, particularly on social distancing.
“Ang aking nakita is the enforcement. We have plans, we anticipated it, but napasobra pa din. That’s the reason why I am putting somebody else to head the enforcement for the action to be corrected,” Cimatu said.
“While I relieved Meimban, he did a good job. He took concern of the safety of the people on the footbridge at the dolomite area. He prevented a potential tragedy,” he added.
Cimatu vowed the incident will not happen again.
Officials have crafted new guidelines to be imposed on visitors at the Dolomite Beach, including the ban on visitors aged 12 and below and limiting the time of stay in the site to five to 15 minutes depending on the number of visitors.
Vendors were also no longer allowed along Roxas Boulevard to decongest the area.
DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda earlier said they are not considering the closure of Manila Bay Dolomite Beach, noting that it was developed for the public.
The beach was reopened to the public on October 16, the same day the alert level status in the National Capital Region was downgraded from Level 4 to Level 3 following the decrease of Covid-19 cases in the metro.
On Tuesday, October 26, Manila City Mayor Francisco Domagoso urged the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to file charges against concerned government officials following the incident.
"File charges in violation (of health protocols) sa mga kapwa nila nasa National Government," he said.
"If they cannot implement it within their offices, then there is no point implementing it sa mga taongbayan," he added. (SunStar Philippines)