DENR to submit 'accurate, science-based' info to SC on Samal-Davao connector bridge
'In compliance with the Supreme Court's directive, the DENR will submit a verified return within ten (10) calendar days from receipt of the Order. This non-extendible submission will contain accurate, complete, and science-based information necessary to assist the Court in its deliberation,' said DENR Region XI in a statement.
The regional DENR office is one of the respondents in an earlier petition seeking the immediate issuance of a temporary environmental protection order against the SIDC Project, arguing that this will result in irreversible damage to the coral reefs in Paradise Reef and the Hizon Marine Protected Area.
The petitioners also sought a writ of kalikasan for the respondents to permanently cease and desist from the construction.
A writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy under Philippine jurisprudence that protects a person's constitutional right to a balanced and healthy ecology.
But the SC clarified that it is not directing the government to stop the project's construction.
DENR Region XI, meanwhile, assured the public that all projects under its jurisdiction comply fully with the Environmental Impact Statement System and other applicable legal requirements.
'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 said.
The toll-free, four-lane SIDC spans 4.76 kilometers and will link Davao City at the R. Castillo–Daang Maharlika Junction to the Samal Circumferential Road.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) earlier said that the bridge project is at 38% progress rate.
The SIDC is being funded through Official Development Assistance from China.
The DPWH Unified Project Management Office – Bridges Management Cluster is the project's implementing agency, with China Road and Bridge Corporation as the contractor. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/ VAL, GMA Integrated News
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