DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 July) – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. highlighted the Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) project as among the flagship infrastructure development ventures of his administration that will bring economic prosperity in the countryside.
During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, the President pushed the construction of the SIDC project despite the opposition of local environmental groups to the current alignment of the multi-billion bridge project.
Marcos said that under his administration’s “Mega-Bridge Program,” more infrastructure projects would be constructed to expedite the development of the economy.
He said that under this program, 12 bridges totaling 90 kilometers will be constructed to connect islands and areas separated by waters, including the SIDC, also known as the Davao City-Samal Island Bridge, the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge and the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges.
“The underlying logic to our infrastructure development is economic efficiency. We are opening up all gateways to mobilize goods and services at less cost and in less time, and ultimately, to drive the economy forward,” he said.
Marcos added that the road network plans “must link not only our three major islands, but all prospective sites of economic development.”
He said that improving physical connectivity is one of the Marcos administration’s flagship projects, which also include water resources, agriculture, health, digital connectivity and energy.
“Physical connectivity infrastructure—such as roads, bridges, seaports, airports and mass transport—accounts for 83 percent of this program,” he said.
Marcos said infrastructure spending will stay at five to six percent of the country’s gross development product.
The SIDC project costs P23 billion, P19.3 billion of which come from a loan from the Chinese government, he said.
On October 27, 2022, Marcos led the groundbreaking of the SIDC project, which his administration eyes to finish by 2027.
Davao-based environmental groups earlier called on the President to realign the SIDC project because the current design would endanger 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 bridge project’s arrival point on the Island Garden City of Samal side would land in Costa Marina Beach Resort and the Paradise Island Park & Beach Resort in Barangay Limao.
Last March, the Rodriguez and Lucas families, who operate both resorts, filed a petition before the Supreme Court for “continuing mandamus and prohibition” with an application for temporary restraining order (TRO).
This after the Court of Appeals ruled against the issuance of a TRO earlier this year. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
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