The Supreme Court (SC) has issued a writ of kalikasan pertaining to the Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) project, SC spokesperson lawyer Camille Ting said on Tuesday.
Ting said the respondents in a petition to halt construction of the bridge have 10 days to submit their reply to the writ.
A writ of kalikasan is deemed a legal remedy under Philippine jurisprudence meant to protect a person’s constitutional right to a balanced and healthy ecology.
Ting clarified however, that the SC was not ordering the government to stop constructing the bridge project.
She said the high tribunal was merely referring to the petitioner’s request for a temporary protection order (TEPO) by the Court of Appeals in Cagayan de Oro.
“If TEPO is granted, then construction will be stopped temporarily,” Ting told reporters.
This stemmed from a petition asking the SC to order the respondents to permanently cease and desist from the construction of the SIDC.
The petitioners warned building the connector bridge would result in irreversible damage to the corals in Paradise Reef and the Hizon Marine Protected Area.
The petitioners are Ecoteneo director Carmela Marie Santos, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability executive director Mark Peñalver, Dyesabel Philippines chairman Marvelous Camilo, and the Sustainable Davao Movement.
Cited as respondents in the petition were the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Samal Island Protected Landscape and Seascape Protected Area management board, and the China Road and Bridge Corp.
When completed, the SIDC would be a toll-free, four-lane bridge spanning 4.76 kilometers, linking Davao City at the R. Castillo–Daang Maharlika Junction to the Samal Circumferential Road.
