Envi groups seek Supreme Court to halt Samal-Davao bridge

Photo by Kath Cortez/davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – After years of exhausting efforts to appeal with government agencies to stop the construction of the Samal Island – Davao City (SIDC) Connector Bridge project, environmental groups in Davao City are now seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court through a petition for a Writ of Kalikasan.

The petitioners—EcoTeneo of the Ateneo de Davao University, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS), Sustainable Davao Movement, and Dyesabel Philippines, Inc.— are asking the Supreme Court to issue the Writ, and also to grant a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) to halt all destructive activities, to permanently stop the SIDC Project in its current alignment, and mandate the rehabilitation of damaged coral reef ecosystems and full public accountability.

The Writ of Kalikasan is a legal remedy which is sought to deal with environmental damage brought by huge activities that “threatens life, health, or property”.

The petitioners, in a press conference on Monday, said the construction of the bridge which started in 2023 is “posing irreversible damage” to both the coral reefs in Paradise Reef in the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) and the Hizon Marine Protected Area in Davao City, calling for immediate action.

The SIDC project, which is undergoing the construction of craneways to build the foundation of the bridge, is located in Barangay Hizon, Sasa in the Davao City end and above Costa Marina Beach Resort in Barangay Limao in IGACOS.

The petitioners are represented by La Viña, Zarate & Associates; the Ateneo Legal Aid Services Office and Attorney Manuel Quibod, Dean of the Ateneo de Davao College of Law.

Respondents in the petition are the  Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Samal Island Protected Landscape and Seascape (SILPLS) PAMB, and the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC).

The petition is 208 pages long, which La Viña explained in a Zoom appearance in the press conference, as thorough and essential in presenting “science-based claims” to halt the SIDC Project.

Quibod told reporters that the bridge construction allegedly violated two laws, one presidential decree and one Davao City ordinance, namely:  the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018 (Republic Act 11038), the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act (RA 9147), Davao City Ordinance No. 0861-22 (Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2019–2028 of Davao City), and Presidential Decree No. 1586 on the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System and its implementing rules and regulations, among others.

Last resort

IDIS Director Atty. Mark Peñalver explained during the press conference that before filing the Writ of Kalikasan as their “last legal remedy,” the group had exhausted all possible efforts to address the issue with concerned agencies and local officials of Davao and IGACOS.

“But again, it was as if everything fell on deaf ears. There was no harmony among the stakeholders. We also pursued administrative remedies by reaching out to the DENR and other government institutions, but again, we were ignored—no replies to our inquiries or to our letters,” said Atty. Peñalver.

The Save Paradise Reef and the Sustainable Davao Movement have been campaigning for the realignment of the SIDC since 2022, including an online signature campaign and dialogues with involved agencies and local government units in Samal and Davao.

Prior to this, the Rodriguez-Lucas family, owners of the Paradise Island Beach Resort and Costa Marina Beach Resort—collectively referred to as “Paradise Reef”— had already been calling for the realignment of the project due to threats posed to the area’s rich marine life. 

The family had written letters to DPWH, DENR, then-Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to review the project, and also sought the intervention of the Davao City Council to revisit the resolution endorsing the project since its landing site in Davao City falls within a designated marine sanctuary.

The Rodriguezes also petitioned the Court of Appeals (CA) for a Writ of Mandamus to compel government agencies to enforce environmental laws but the appeal was rejected in 2023.

Despite all these efforts, no action was taken as the project as CRBC began installing crane ways in 2024.

READ: Peril to paradise? China-funded Samal-Davao bridge project raises worries over Paradise Reef damage

Carmela Marie Santos, executive director of EcoTeneo, the environmental arm of Ateneo de Davao University, also stressed the urgency of protecting the reef, while emphasizing the time they spent reaching out to agencies involved before filing the writ.

“This is not just about the corals—it’s about dignity, food security, and our shared future. To defend the reef is to defend life,” said Santos.

Underwater garden destroyed

IGACOS was once known as a garden island due to its vast coral reef system, which Dean Quibod described as “a garden underneath.” But according to marine biologist Dr. John Lacson, thirty-three percent of IGACOS’s coral reef is now dead due to the ongoing construction by CRBC.

“Why keep this project? Is it a matter of pride? Do they not want to admit that they were wrong? We can take any government official, give them a set of goggles and a snorkel, take them underwater, and show them what they’ve done—and explain what they are about to destroy,” Lacson said via Zoom in the press conference.

To prevent further destruction, petitioners pushed for a shorter and more cost-effective alignment at the old Bridgeport area, also in Barangay Caliclic, which was previously identified in a feasibility study commissioned by the Japanese government in 2016. This alternative alignment is P7 billion cheaper than the current route.

China-funded project

The SIDC Project is described as a  four-extradosed bridge stretching 4.01 kilometers with a vertical clearance of 47 meters.

This project was signed during the Duterte administration in 2021, which is 90 percent funded by China’s official development assistance (ODA) worth P19.32 billion, with the remaining funds coming from the Philippine government.

Despite opposition from environmental groups and some local communities, the Marcos administration decided to proceed with the project with an inauguration in October 2022.

The project began in 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2028. (davaotoday.com)