The trend over safety, Is it worth it?

By Genevive Anne Solano

Dolomite Beach in Manila Bay was open to the public last Sunday, October 17, 2021. This was a change that intrigued not just the residents of Manila but also the public. For many years, Manila Bay had been in a flawed condition due to its heavily polluted water and waste. Then amidst the pandemic, the Government decided to pursue this pending project, putting white sand or so-called “Dolomite”. This has been a trending topic both Positive and Negative.

As mentioned that later in 2020, the first open to the public of the white beach sand has been a trend that has been a meme, a hot topic on any platforms in Social Media. When it was first open to the public, it had been criticized as this caused the people to forget about the health and safety protocol. As seen in several photos, they breached the rule on social distancing; tourists had made contact with each other. Thus, this may cause the number of Covid cases to increase, and many may be affected. Then it is, the number of cases could soar again then after that, the Government would implement another MECQ back and forth. It is like healing a patient, and that patient continuously does the prohibited and attracts back the illness they had.

Just as what has happened way back in 2020? They should not have opened the beach to the public, even though we had vaccines; the beach will attract tourists and the public in just one place. They will easily catch the virus again. There is a study that the vaccine cannot guarantee that it will completely protect you from being infected by the virus. However, they will lessen the effects and expose your body to the antigens of the virus to introduce that the virus is an intruder that poses a threat to your immune system. Yes, the beach was indeed a “game-changer” for Manila Bay, to attract tourists again and boost up not just the tourist rate of the city but as well as the country. However, they should have prioritized the pandemic. This will endanger the people's health and the safety of the country. Especially, that the pandemic was not been officially declared to be over.

The Dolomite beach on the other hand, attracts tourists and investors more now that this pandemic had affected us gravely. Especially, our economy had stopped because of the lockdowns and the postponement of the labor sector. This might also help to gain tourism and increase the GDP of our country. This will be reasonable enough to help the nation to get back on track and step by step move on and heal from the damage of this pandemic has been done.

There is a positive and negative effect of the new tourist attraction that the Dolomite Beach had set, additional to this is that it also help our dear manila bay waters to clean up and lessen the pollution that its water contains. Still, there are factors that we need to consider since this pandemic has taken a toll on every one of us. Is it? Worth it? The trend, the attraction to our country. How about the state of everyone especially we are still in a pandemic state. Is it practical to publicize an attraction yet we are still in a situation that limits us on contact, on our freedom for our own sake? What will be the more important to us, the economy or our dear country, or the safety and well-being of everyone residing in this country?