President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night called the dolomite sand along the shores of Manila Bay ''beautiful'' amid criticisms from some people.

"What is beautiful is beautiful, period. Dolomite is beautiful to the eyes, period. Don't ask because you did not (try to rehabilitate Manila Bay). You had your chance, actually," Duterte said in his taped "Talk to the People".

Duterte said only Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu dared to rehabilitate the Manila Bay.

"For so many years, you had every chance to do it. Was there anybody willing to take the problem by its horns? Only Cimatu," he said.

Environmentalist groups said the government's reclamation project shows that dumping crushed dolomite is adding to pollution woes. It will not cover up one of the root causes of problems in Manila Bay, it added.

Last year, Malacanang assured that before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) started the project, it conducted an environmental impact assessments and engineering work. Ella Dionisio/DMS