THE DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and its Chinese contractor have started borehole drilling activities for the Samal-Davao bridge, asserting that the structure’s approved alignment is the most cost-efficient.
“Talking about the other alignment, it is diagonal but the chosen alignment is the shortest and the most cost-effective route,” DPWH-Davao Region Spokesperson Dean I. Ortiz said following a statement released by the department last week.
DPWH said the onshore and offshore drillings are part of the geotechnical investigation mapped out by contractor China Road and Bridge Corp. for the bridge’s detailed engineering design.
The department said the final alignment of the project, which will connect Samal Island to mainland Mindanao through Davao City, was “exhaustively studied with most beneficial effects in terms of technical, financial, economic, environmental and social impacts.”
The Rodriguez-Lucas family, whose properties will be affected by the bridge’s landing site in Samal — including Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort and Costa Marina Beach Resort — have been appealing for a realignment, citing the reefs in the area that they have nurtured.
The family is supported by several groups, including the Save Samal Reefs Alliance, which has called for a suspension of the project to reconsider the alignment.
It said the issue is not just about right of way but “rights of nature.”
DPWH said the project has complied with all requirements, including an environmental compliance certificate. It added that a multipartite team will be monitoring construction while an Environmental Guarantee Fund will be set up for rehabilitation works in affected areas.
Meanwhile, community leaders expressed support for the project during a dialogue on Saturday led by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and leaders of the provincial and city governments.
Eric P. Obiso, chair of one of the 46 barangays in Samal, said residents had been pushing for a bridge for decades to boost economic growth, and that the reality is there will be an impact on the environment wherever the landing is placed.
“Any project will definitely affect the environment, so wherever we put the bridge will definitely be affected. We have been longing (for a bridge) for a long time and not only the Samaleños but the entire Region 11 (Davao) for sure,” he said during the meeting.
Mayor Al David T. Uy of Samal, formally named Island Garden City of Samal, told NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan during the dialogue that majority of residents back the project.
The planned four-lane bridge, funded under a $350-million loan deal with China, will span 3.98 kilometers over the Pakiputan Strait. — Maya M. Padillo