ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL, Davao del Norte (MindaNews / 23 April)—A resort owner here is closing 30 percent of its cottages because of the ongoing construction of the Samal Island-Davao City bridge nearby.
Julian Rodriguez, technical director and manager of Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort, told reporters Tuesday they expect “a lot of air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and other pollution” due to the construction of the Samal Island-Davao City (SIDC) Connector Project.
He said 20 of their cottages will have to be closed to tourists.
When asked if they would press for damages against the contractor and other key officials, Rodriguez declined to comment.
“We have not experienced this before, so we cannot say we are prepared for [the ongoing works in SIDC],” Rodriguez said.
“I am not against the bridge. We are supporting the bridge… [Our issue] is really more on the location because we are really trying to protect the reef that we have,” he added.
Meanwhile, Joey Tulaylay, an engineer at the Department of Public Works and Highways-Davao Region (DPWH-11) serving as SIDC program manager, said civil works already started a week ago despite the pending court order raised in the Supreme Court (SC) and the Court of Appeals brought by the Lucas-Rodriguez family, owners of the Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort and Costa Marina Beach Resort.
“All concerns regarding the reef, the noise, everything, are approved through Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC),” Tulaylay said.
The SIDC is a P23.04-billion bridge that will connect Samal Island to Davao City. The project involves the construction of a four-lane 3.98-kilometer bridge being implemented by the DPWH central office, and set to be opened to the public by 2027.
A part of the project worth P19.3 billion will come from a loan from the Chinese government.
Ecoteneo, an advocacy group for environmental protection and conservation of Ateneo de Davao University, have called on Marcos to realign the SIDC project because the “current design would endanger the Paradise Reef, a 7,500-square meter contiguous reef regarded by marine experts as a ‘hidden treasure’ and an ‘important gene bank’ of marine creatures.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the bridge’s groundbreaking ceremony on October 27, 2022. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
