DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 8 July) – A wharf built by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) could cause the death of corals at Caliclic Reef in Samal Island, a marine biologist said.
Dr. John Lacson, who has a doctorate degree in marine biology from the University of Texas, said the wharf was constructed off the now idle Bluejaz Beach Resort & Waterpark in Barangay Caliclic, on a spot directly above the 40-meter long reef.
In a phone interview, Lacson said that during his dive to the area last June 8, he captured footage of destruction of the reef caused by large metal beams of the wharf framework that were embedded into the “hard corals.”
“That port is directly on top of living coral. Because of that, they are blocking the sunlight of corals. It would not be long before corals die,” he said.
He added that the large boats docking at the wharf could kill the corals either “by incidental contact or discharge of debris or any oils.”
Lacson said the wharf would be used for the offloading of the heavy equipment needed for the construction of the Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) Project, also known as the Davao-Samal Bridge.
He claimed that the construction of the wharf “with railings and spotlights was complete” as of Thursday.
The location of the wharf is estimated at 125 meters from Costa Marina Beach Resort and Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort, operated by the Rodriguez and Lucas families.
The bridge project’s arrival point on IGACOS side would land in between both resorts in Barangay Limao.
Dean Ortiz, spokesperson for DPWH-Davao, said on Friday that the wharf will serve as a docking area to access the fabrication yard of the government’s contractor for the Davao-Samal bridge.
Lacson said the development of the port as a separate ancillary project of the bridge project does not have an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
“The fact of the matter, I don’t think they look underneath it. I’m pretty sure that is not included in the environmental assessment for SIDC as a whole. The DPWH is creating a port and they built it right on top of the coral reef. I doubt that they have any EIA to do that,” he said.
In a statement released to MindaNews, the DPWH said, “this Office upon investigation learned that said property owner/lessee already secured a Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC) dated March 02, 2023, from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Environment Management Bureau, Central Office in accordance with the Revised Procedural Manual for DENR Administrative Order No. 30, Series of 2003 of Presidential Decree No. 1586.”
It said the certificate of non-coverage is “a separate document from the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) secured for the SIDC Project, being it a separate establishment and not covered under the civil works contract for the SIDC Project.”
It added that a certificate of non-coverage is the “equivalent of an ECC for projects that are not expected to have significant impacts on the environment.”
“These projects are considered to be not covered by the Philippine Environmental Impact Assessment System, hence the name. Pursuant EMB Memorandum Circular 2014-005, applications for CNC are accompanied by the proforma project description from the DENR,” it added.
“The Department deems it to be more proper to refer all concerns on this particular issue directly to the property owner and/or the lessee of that area, as it is best addressed by them,” he said.
The DENR-Davao refrained from giving any comment “because this is part of the SIDC issue.”
Ortiz assured that the DPWH would rehabilitate the “damaged corals” with the assistance of the DENR.
Last March 16, the Rodriguez family through counsel Ramon Edison Batacan filed a petition for “continuing mandamus and prohibition” with an application for temporary restraining order at the Supreme Court.
This after the Court of Appeals dismissed the petition early this year.
The family has consistently appealed for the realignment of the bridge project in order to save 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.”
The project costs P23 billion, P19.3 billion of which would come from a loan from the Chinese government.
On October 27, 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the groundbreaking of the SIDC project, which his administration eyes to finish by 2027. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
