THE CONTROVERSIAL Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge project hurdled a major legal speed bump as the Court of Appeals (CA) junked the petition by green for a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO).
The development was recently announced on Friday, July 11, 2025, by Mayor Toto Reyes of Samal, bringing clarity to the infrastructure project that has faced legal challenges.
A document, shared by Mayor Reyes in his Facebook post, states resolutory portion of the CA ruling: “Issuing a TEPO at this stage would cause undue disruption to a government infrastructure project already in progress and may potentially harm the greater public interest.”
Consequently, the Court “RESOLVES to DENY petitioners’ prayer for the issuance of a Temporary Environmental Protection Order.”
The resolution was signed by Associate Justice Anisah B. Amanodin-Umpa, with concurrence from Associate Justices Evalyn Arellano-Morales and Jill Rose S. Jaugan-Lo.
The project has been touted as a crucial infrastructure development aimed at boosting tourism and improving connectivity between Davao City and the Island Garden City of Samal.Opponents of the bridge have raised environmental concerns, particularly on its potential impact on the Paradise Reef, a vital marine ecosystem in the area.
However, with the CA’s decision, the legal hurdle of the TEPO has been overcome, paving the way for the project’s continued construction.
The contractor has not stopped construction of the controversial Samal Island-Davao City Connector Bridge Project despite the Supreme Court’s issuance of a writ of kalikasan on Monday, July 1, seeking to halt the project due to environmental concerns.
In an interview on July 2, Department of Public Works and Highways XI spokesperson Dean Ortiz affirmed their commitment to the judicial process.
“We are significantly ahead of our projected accomplishment,” Ortiz stated. “We are currently at 38.07 percent, while our target for this period was only 16.24 percent.
This means we are 21.84 percent ahead of our projected accomplishment for the duration of the construction.”Ortiz emphasized the project’s rapid progress.
“We are way ahead on track; our work is progressing rapidly. Should this project be halted, it would result in a significant waste of time and resources. It would have a huge adverse impact on us if we reach that point.”
