A Petition for a Writ of Kalikasan was filed on Monday before the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the construction of the Samal Island–Davao City Connector (SIDC) project, which allegedly threatens two critical coral ecosystems in Davao City.
In a press conference, petitioner Mark Penalver emphasized that the coral reefs deserve the protection guaranteed by the Constitution.
“We are witnessing 400-year-old coral reefs being reduced to rubble in a matter of weeks. Paradise Reef is not just beautiful—it feeds us, it protects our shores, it teaches us balance,” said Penalver, who also serves as the Executive Director of the Interfacing Development Initiatives for Sustainability, Inc.
Paradise Reef in Samal Island and the Hizon Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Davao City are both located in the ecologically significant Davao Gulf.
The SIDC project, funded by China, was signed during the Duterte administration and has been allowed to proceed under the current administration, the petitioners said, despite opposition from environmental groups and local communities.
The project includes a four-lane extradosed bridge spanning 4.01 kilometers, with a vertical clearance of 47 meters.
The petition argues that the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued for the project is invalid, as it was based on clearances granted by an entity without legal authority.
It also outlines how the ongoing construction has already caused actual, serious, and potentially irreversible environmental damage, in direct violation of the Expanded NIPAS Act, the Wildlife Act, and local marine protection ordinances.
Among the reliefs sought by the petitioners are the issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan, the granting of a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO), a permanent halt to the SIDC project in its current alignment, and an order to rehabilitate the damaged coral reef ecosystems and ensure full public accountability.