THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Davao regional office, said it is “fully prepared” to cooperate with the judicial proceedings about the Supreme Court’s (SC) issuance of a writ of kalikasan in connection with the petition against the Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Bridge Project.
The agency said in a statement yesterday that it will submit a response to the SC containing “accurate, complete, and science-based information necessary to assist the Court in its deliberation.”
DENR added that such a response must be provided to the SC within 10 calendar days from receipt of the order, which cannot be extended.
“As the DENR’s regional regulatory authority in Davao Region, we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to uphold environmental laws and ensure that all projects within our jurisdiction comply fully with the Environmental Impact Statement System and other applicable legal requirements,” the agency explained.
“We are fully prepared to cooperate with the judicial proceedings and will provide all relevant technical documents, environmental assessments, and compliance records as may be required. The DENR remains an evidence-based institution committed to promoting development that is both sustainable and environmentally responsible,” it added.
A writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy that protects a person’s constitutional right to a healthy environment.
Earlier this week, the SC issued such a writ against the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and four other agencies stemming from a petition seeking to stop the construction of the SIDC, allegedly due to the irreversible damage it will cause to coral reefs and the marine environment.
Aside from the DPWH, also issued stoppage orders were the DENR, the Samal Island Protected Landscape, Seascape Protected Area Management Board, and the China Road and Bridge Corp.
The government of China is providing P19 billion of the P23.52 billion total project cost of the SIDC project through a loan to the national government.
Petitioners against the project said there is a need for the writ of kalikasan to stop further works on the 3.98-kilometer government-backed project that they said violates the constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology.
According to the 212-page SC petition, the project traverses the 15,000-square-meter Paradise Reef that contains 70 percent hard rock corals and is considered among the last pristine reefs in the Davao Gulf as well as the Hizon Marine Protected Area which showed a 30 percent consistent hike in fish catch by local fishermen since 2018 due to the coral cover and growth.
The petitioners claim these are in grave danger due to the ongoing construction activities of the project, which include the offshore borehole drilling, port and craneway building, and soil testing.
Citing studies by marine experts, the petitioners said siltation and sedimentation due to the ongoing construction activities have already damaged around 600 meters of the coral reefs in Paradise Reef alone in violation of existing laws such as the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, and Davao City’s own Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
