Amidst a cloud of uncertainty hovering over the ambitious P23-billion Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Project, Senator Mark Villar on Thursday expressed optimism that the dream bridge will be realized.
Speaking before the Davao media upon his arrival at the Technical Operation Group (TOG) Wing at the Philippine Air Force (PAF) at the old Davao airport, the former secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said SIDC is a big-ticket project, which is expected to undergo long procedure that can cause delay of its implementation.
“Magandang project ito. Kasama lang ito sa proseso na gumawa muna ng FS (feasibility study), after ng FS gumawa ng detailed engineering design. Malaking project po ito at syempre aabot ng one year ang FS, aabot din ng one year and a half ang engineering detailed design. Kasama lang sa proseso. Tumatakbo naman yung Davao-Samal bridge at sa tingin ko matutuloy ito,” Villar said in an interview at TOG.
Last month, Maria Lourdes D. Lim, regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA 11), confirmed that the start of the implementation of the SIDC continues to be stalled due to right-of-way (ROW) issues.
Lim said the Department of Public Works and Highways-Unified Project Management Office (DPWH-UPMO) is still facing difficulty in gaining access to some affected properties on the Samal side of the project.
“Davao-Samal Bridge project is still suspended because of the ROW issues. Mahirap to gain access doon sa mga properties so they (implementing agencies) have to be permitted by the property owners. It’s still being negotiated,” she said in an interview.
Meanwhile, Villar assured that the Dabawenyos can count on his full support in the entire Davao Region.
“Kahit pa noong ako ay secretary ng DPWH until now full support ako sa buong Davao Region. Marami akong kaibigan dito at nakikita ko ang malaking potential ng Davao City and I want to do as much as I can to make sure na masusunod yong potential ng Davao,” he said.
