Environment groups ask President Marcos to realign Samal-Davao bridge, save Paradise Reef
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 28 October) – Environment groups called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make them part of his administration’s promise of unity by heeding the growing clamor to realign the Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector project to save Paradise Reef from destruction.
Mylai Santos, director of Ecoteneo, told reporters during a press conference at the Ateneo De Davao University on Friday that Marcos’ statement during the groundbreaking of SIDC project was “inspiring”.
Santos said the President mentioned his administration’s commitment to become a link that bridges gaps between people in reference to the construction of the highly-anticipated bridge project.
“Nakaka-inspire ang sinabi ng Presidente. Diba, sabi nya yung bridge daw parang simbolo ng administration nya na gustong mag bridge ng gaps… Pwede bang maging bahagi tayo ng promise nayon? (What the President said was inspiring. He said that the bridge is a symbol of his administration’s desire to bridge gaps… Can we be part of that promise?),” she said.
Santos added they are hoping that the bridge project of the national government would bridge gaps instead of create more divisions.
SIDC, popularly known as Samal-Davao bridge project, costs P23 billion, of which P19.3 billion was loaned from the Chinese government.
Marcos led the groundbreaking for the bridge project on Thursday with Vice President Sara Duterte and other key cabinet officials at the Damosa Land Property in Barangay Hizon.
The President said the bridge affirmed his administration’s “commitment and resolve to become a sturdy and purposeful link that bridges gaps between physical and geographical barriers, but also the various social structures that need to be connected and fortified as one.”
“Regardless of our individual strengths or merits, we will achieve nothing if we continue to permit divisions that halt us from connecting with each other,” he said.
A 100-page description of SIDC project published on the website of the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources says the land portion of the bridge will fall on the coast of Costa Marina Beach Resort, which is adjacent to Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort in Barangay Caliclic, Babak District of Samal Island and on some residential and industrial areas in Barangay Hizon in Davao City.
Paradise Reef, a 300-meter contiguous reef situated on the coast of the two resorts, is regarded as a “hidden treasure of Samal” that, conservationists say, is an important gene bank of marine creatures.
Yuan Xiao Cong, deputy general manager of the state-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), told reporters that the construction of the project will be completed in five years.
The CRBC has been selected as the contractor for the project.
Yuan said the contractor has been conducting a geotechnical survey since September 1 while the actual civil works on the bridge are expected to start in February 2023.
Environment groups, including the Rodriguez and Lucas families, operator of the two resorts, opposed the alignment of the bridge project, saying it will destroy Paradise Reef.
Santos urged the government to consider other sites for the alignment of the Davao-Samal bridge.
She said 100-year-old corals would be destroyed if the current alignment pushes through.
Environment groups would seek legal relief to bar the construction of the bridge if the government pushes through with the current alignment, she said.
Atty. Romeo Cabarde Jr., of the Ateneo Public Legal Assistance, added they would exhaust all other possible remedies before they would proceed with court action.
“As to the legal plan, we have it all in place. As we say, we always use the legal battle as the last resort, so we are exhausting all possible remedies we could. If push comes to shove, we will get our legal arsenal ready, so I think we are gearing towards that because we’re not getting any positive response,” he said.
He added that another strategy being explored is to convince the City Council of Davao to reconsider their resolution on the issuance of the “certificate of no objection.”
“At the time they released a resolution of no objection, the presentation of the project was still very broad because they are saying we are not objecting to the idea of having a bridge between Davao and Samal. But as to the specific location, they do not have a certificate of objection to that,” he added.
He said environment groups are likewise reaching out to the local council of the Island Garden City of Samal.
“If we win in this battle that we are preparing, then it is good for us and the environment. But if we lose, it’s totally a loss for the environment and it’s a loss for PBBM’s (President Bongbong Marcos) administration, because he kept on harping on climate change as his priority but what the project is doing is you are removing the carbon sink of the ocean, the forest of the ocean,” he said.
He said he could not reconcile the idea of Marcos prioritizing climate change while his administration is pursuing projects that aggravate its impact. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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