Samal Island Protected Landscape and Seascape Protected Area Management Board

THE SUPREME Court’s writ of kalikasan ruling affirmed that the public has a right to a balanced and healthy ecology, environmental advocates said Tuesday as they welcomed the decision on the Samal Island-Davao Connectivity (SIDC) project.

The SC En Banc, during its session on July 1, issued a writ of kalikasan against the respondents: Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Samal Island Protected Landscape and Seascape Protected Area Management Board, and the China Road and Bridge Corporation.

This follows a petition filed by environmental advocates Carmela Marie Santos, Mark Peñalver, and the Sustainable Davao Movement (SDM), after years of advocating against the project.

The petitioners filed the petition on April 21, raising grave concerns over the irreversible damage that the SIDC could inflict on vital marine ecosystems, particularly the Paradise Reef in Samal Island and the Hizon Marine Protected Area in Davao City. 

They maintained that the sites are not only ecologically rich, but are part of the natural heritage and identity of Davaoeños and the people of Mindanao.

“The Court’s issuance of the writ sends a strong signal: no development, no matter how grand or well-funded, is above the law—especially when it threatens the environment and the lives and livelihoods of communities,” APILA, Green Juris, and Ecoteneo in a collective statement.

The SC also required the respondents to file a verified return on the petition within a non-extendible period of 10 days after service of the writ. The high court also referred the ruling on the temporary environmental protection order to the Court of Appeals-Cagayan de Oro for action.

“This struggle is not merely environmental—it is spiritual, ethical, and profoundly human. It calls us to reject the “technocratic paradigm” that values profit over people and reduces nature to a disposable resource,” the group stressed.

To note, the Save Paradise Reef and the SDM have been campaigning for the bridge realignment since 2022, and launched a signature campaign.

Peñalver, in an earlier intervie,w said the group is not against development, but they push for the realignment that would cost less and have minimal impact on both the environment and the livelihood of the locals, especially the fisherfolk.

But despite the opposition, the construction of the bridge pushed through and was inaugurated in October 2022.

“We call on all government agencies and private entities involved to respect the process and prioritize environmental integrity over profit or expediency. Infrastructure must never come at the cost of environmental destruction and the disenfranchisement of communities,” it stressed. 

As of June 27, DPWH reported the bridge project has achieved a 38% accomplishment rate, with 73 out of 110 bored piles completed on the Davao side of the land viaduct, and has completed all bored piles on the Samal side.