Four Davao City environmentalist groups on Monday filed a petition for Writ of Kalikasan before the Supreme Court seeking to stop the construction of the P23.52 billion Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Project.
The SIDC Project, spanning 4.76 kilometers, is a four-lane bridge designed to establish a vital transportation link between Davao City and the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS).
Ecoteneo director Carmela Marie Santos, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), Inc. executive director Mark Peñalver, Sustainable Davao Movement represented by its secretariat and Dyesabel Philippines, Inc. chair Marvelous Dainty Camilo filed a petition against the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) represented by Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) represented by Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Samal Island Protected Landscape and Seascape Protected Area Management Board represented by the Regional Executive Director of DENR 11 Ma. Mercedes V. Dumagan, and SIDC Project Contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation.
The petitioners called for a halt to the construction activities, which according to them are damaging two critical coral ecosystems, the Paradise Reef in Samal and the Hizon Marine Protected Area in Davao City.
According to the petition, Paradise Reef is a 15,000-square-meter marine ecosystem formed by a vast array of coral species that have persisted for more than 400 years in the Samal Island. It is recognized as an environmentally critical area and one of the few healthy reefs in the Davao Gulf.
The petition stated that the Hard Coral Garden, spanning approximately 1,875 square meters, boasts a composition of 70% hard coral cover; 20% soft coral cover; and 10% seagrass.
“This filing is long overdue. We thought we could expect some action, but more than 2 years of trying to reach out to the national and the local government has only led to nearly 3 years of corals/marine life destruction,” said Santos.
The petitioners underscored how the ongoing construction through barge anchoring, borehole drilling, and crane installation has already caused actual serious, and potentially irreversible environmental harm in direct violation of the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act, the Wildlife Act, and the local marine protection ordinances.
“We are witnessing 400-year-old coral reefs being reduced to rubble in a matter of weeks. Paradise Reef is not just beautiful – it feeds us, it protects our shores, and it teaches us balance. It deserves the protection that the Constitution guarantees,” Peñalver said.
The petitioners highlighted their Prayers in the petition that include SC to issue a Writ of Kalikasan directing respondents to submit their respective answers to the petition within 10 days from receipt thereof; and immediately issue a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) ex parte directing respondents to cease and desist from the construction of the SIDC Project; and declare that the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued by DENR concerning the SIDC Project as null and void.
Meanwhile, Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported recently that the SIDC project’s overall physical progress currently exceeds 12 percent and the construction efforts are primarily focused on the bridge’s foundation and substructure.
Sadain also reported substantial progress in structural works. He said all 74 bored piles for the east land viaduct on the Samal side are complete, while 73 out of 110 bored piles for the west land viaduct (Davao City side) have been poured. Four of 26 columns, each standing 10 meters high, have been cast, and 48 bored piles for the navigation bridge (on both the Samal and Davao sides) have been completed.
