MANILA - Presidential candidate Sen. Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday said he wants to investigate the controversial dolomite beach in Manila Bay.

During his visit to Benguet, he said many issues concerning the dolomite beach, a project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, need looking into.

“I-imbestigahan din natin 'yang dolomite. Bakit? Kasi hindi lang 'yang dolomite ang project diyan. May mga makina pa dapat 'yan sa ilalim tapos hindi na nila inilagay. Marami pa tayong dapat imbestigahan diyan,” said Pacquiao, chairman of the Senate public works and highways committee.

(We will investigate that dolomite. Why? Because the dolomite itself is not only the project there. There are also types of machinery under that but they did not list them. We need to investigate a lot of things regarding that.)

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso, another presidential contender, earlier challenged the national task force overseeing the COVID-19 pandemic response to file cases against DENR officials for opening the beach filled with artificial white sand.

• Isko urges gov't: File cases vs DENR over opening of dolomite beach

The Manila Bay Coordinating Office earlier said it recorded "tens of thousands" of people visiting the 1.2-hectare artificial beach over the weekend. The influx of people to the man-made beach along Manila Bay "can be a super spreader" of the virus, Domagoso told ANC's Headstart.

• 'Tens of thousands' visit Manila dolomite beach on weekend: official

The DENR and the Department of Public Works and Highways have defended their decision to dump crushed dolomite along the Manila Bay shore, saying it serves as an "enhancer" for the beautification project in the area.

The dolomite beach was part of a P389-million project to rehabilitate the area.

— Report from Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News

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