Rodriguez family seeks issuance of TRO vs Davao-Samal bridge project

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 May)—The Rodriguez family has sought the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court against the multibillion-peso Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) Project, the family’s counsel said.

_{President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (2nd from left) leads the lowering of a time capsule during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Samal Island – Davao City Connector bridge in October 2022. MindaNews photo by MANMAN DEJETO}

In a text message sent to the media on Tuesday, lawyer Ramon Edison Batacan said that the family filed a petition for “continuing mandamus and prohibition” with an application for TRO before the country’s highest court last March.

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 landing point of the SIDC project, also known as the Davao City-Samal Bridge, is situated on the coast of Costa Marina Beach Resort, which is adjacent to Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort in Barangay Caliclic, Babak District of the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS).

The family owns both resorts.

On the Davao City side, the landing point is situated at R. Castillo-Daang Maharlika junction in Barangay Hizon, crossing over a marine protected area of Barangay Hizon, which is included in the Comprehensive Land-Use Plan (CLUP) 2018-2028.

Lawyer Romeo Cabarde Jr., of the Ateneo Public Legal Assistance, said in a statement that they welcome the filing of a TRO which would allow them more time “to analyze our legal strategies and of course time for the corals to breathe.”

The project costs P23 billion, P19.3 billion of which come from a loan from the Chinese government.

On October 27, 2022, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. led the groundbreaking of the SIDC project, which his administration eyes to finish by 2027.

Once completed, the President said that the bridge project would accommodate up to 25,000 vehicles daily and significantly reduce the travel time between the two cities from 50 minutes to four and a half.

“In 2027, this bridge will surely ease the convenience of travel and transport, bringing forth gainful opportunities for many of our people by providing a link betweenrelatively far-flung areas and economic centers, thereby ensuring smoother mobility of people and of goods,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)