Filipinos are naturally beach bums. This year, however, the national quarantine has forced everyone to cancel their summer getaways. But the government has one bright idea—transforming the polluted stretch of Manila Bay into a beach destination.
But you won’t be dipping and swimming anytime soon, as the beautification project was no different from an Impostor in the Among Us game! The sand used came from crushed dolomite, which scientists believe to be harmful to the marine ecosystem and has potential health hazards to humans.
As Manila Bay was opened to the public on September 19, thousands of people crowded the place, with locals eager to take snapshots of the artificial sand covering the bay area, not mindful of the health protocols mandated by the government.
The 389 million project met the ire of people demanding for a better response from the health crisis. After the brouhaha and criticisms against people disregarding social distancing and wearing of face masks and face shields, Filipinos were quick to turn this unfortunate event to a laughingstock.
The #DolomiteChallenge and #ManilaBayChallenge quickly went viral on Twitter and Facebook. While expressing dismay, netizens have interestingly turned the tables around, putting their beach (and other non-beach-related) photos side by side with a Rappler photo showing people violating proper physical distancing.
Here are some of the tweets which took the hashtags into a whole new level:
"Greatest project ever."
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