The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has no comment yet on the Writ of Kalikasan petition against the P23.52 billion Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Project.
This is in relation to the petition for the Writ of Kalikasan recently filed by four Davao City environmental groups namely Ecoteneo, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), Sustainable Davao Movement, and Dyesabel Philippines, Inc. seeking to halt the construction of the SIDC project.
The petitioners argued that the construction activities are causing damage to two critical coral ecosystems: the Paradise Reef in Samal and the Hizon Marine Protected Area in Davao City.
Rodrigo delos Reyes, project director of the Bridges Management Cluster of the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) of DPWH, told Edge Davao that the department has yet to receive a copy of the Writ of Kalikasan filed against the SIDC Connector Project.
He said that once received, the same shall be referred to the legal service of the department in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor General to properly adhere to the rule of law and apply all legal remedies available for this department.
“Meantime, since the same is already lodged with the Supreme Court we shall make no comment on this to reserve our position for the court’s proper adjudication of the case while not seeking grandstanding from the media,” delos Reyes replied in an email interview.
Meanwhile, the petitioners underscored in the petition 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.
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.
IDIS reiterated the environmental risks posed by the current alignment of SIDC.
The SIDC project’s current design features a four-lane cable-stayed bridge with a total length of 3.98 kilometers, including approaches. The bridge spans the Pakiputan Strait, connecting the northeastern part of Davao City to the northwestern area of Samal Island. Its landing points are located in Barangay Hizon, Davao City, and Barangay Limao, Samal Island.
In a statement, IDIS emphasized that the present alignment of the SIDC Connector Project poses significant environmental risks to two critical marine ecosystems: the Paradise Reef near the Island Garden City of Samal and the Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Barangay Hizon, Davao City.
The SIDC Project spans 4.76 kilometers and is a four-lane bridge designed to establish a vital transportation link between Davao City and the IGaCoS.
