During the stakeholders forum on Saturday (Oct. 8) at Club Samal in Babak District, Island Garden City of Samal, Limao Barangay Captain Eric Obiso said the project will surely give a big impact to the local economy of their barangay.
“Kursanada na ang mga lot owners to use their area for business. Kung naay maigo nga corals sa kadagatan, siguro ang gobyerno naa poy pamaagi nga mauli ang unsa mang madaut ilawom sa dagat,” Obiso said.
He said the entire people of Barangay Limao fully support the project and are longing that the project will push through.
Ann Dalumpines, the village chief of Caliclic also expressed happiness for the project. She said the project is beneficial to residents since the location of the bridge is near their barangay.
“Dugay na nato kini gihandum dili lang taga -Samal but tanan gahandum ug tulay gumikan sa kalisod sa transportasyon in and out sa Samal,” Dalumpines said.
IGACOS has a total of 46 barangays.
IGACOS mayor Al David Uy said he hopes for the speedy construction of the bridge, which he said the Samaleños had long been aspiring for.
Governor Edwin Jubahib of Davao del Norte, meanwhile said, the SIDC connector project had already started last September 1, 2022 following the issuance of the Notice to Proceed (NTP) to the Chinese contractor.
Jubahib asked the support from all elected officials in the province including its residents.
Jubahib also confirms his attendance during the October 3 meeting at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Central office in Manila with Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, and the Rodriguez-Lucas family - owner of Samal’s Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort and Costa Marina Beach Resort.
He said during the meeting Bonoan informed the two families about the approved final alignment for the sea crosssing bridge, which according to him is a product of comprehensive study by experts and with important consideration to the environment and the necessary navigational safety management for seacraft and height restriction for air transport.
The project, the governor said has all the necessary permits and requirements from concerned local government units and national government agencies.
He said both the local government units of Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) and Davao City have expressed no opposition on the current bridge alignment, except for the two families.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Arsenio Balisacan in a press conference said he hopes to resolve all the issues that might prevent the immediate implementation of the connector project.
“Let us help one another to fast track all the government project including SIDC because we already behind from other countries,” Balisacan said.
Balisacan alongside Jubahib, Uy, and NEDA 11 director Maria Lourdes Lim personally conducted site inspection last Saturday, October 8.
Balisacan assures the continuity of the project since this was already approved even before the current government. He said the fund is available, and the conduct of the Detailed Engineering Design (DED) is ongoing.
“Pero siyempre ang gusto natin pag nag-start na ang trabaho wala ng nakaka-obstruct at na-address na ang lahat na issues sa mga various stakeholders,” the secretary said.
DPWH Project manager for operations Joweto Tulaylay said the agency has now started its land survey and geotechnical investigation using boring machine with the government finally proceeding with the detailed engineering design activities for the civil works construction.
The geotechnical investigation plan prepared by design and build contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation will have a total of 97 boreholes - 63 for Davao onshore, 18 offshore, and 16 for Samal onshore.
Part of the requirement that has been complied before the issuance of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) is the creation of the Multipartite Monitoring Team (MMT) and the establishment of Environmental Monitoring Fund (EMF) and Environmental Guarantee Fund (EGF).
The EMF is a fund that the proponent shall commit to establish to support the activities of the MMT.
Meanwhile, the EGF shall be established and used exclusively for the immediate rehabilitation of areas affected by damages to the environment and the resulting deterioration of environmental quality as a direct consequence of project construction, operation and abandonment.
The fund is for the contingency cleanup activities, environmental enhancement measures, damage prevention programs and social equity measures such as livelihood, social development programs, including the necessary information-education-communication and capability building activities related to the project.
The Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) likewise issued Resolution No. 04, s.2020 in October 2020, giving clearance or expression of support for the SIDC Project, being outside the Samal Island Protected Landscape and Seascape (SIPLS).
Envisioned as a 3.98-kilometer, 4-lane bridge that will link Samal Island to Davao City, SIDC will cross over Pakiputan Strait with vertical clearance navigation of up to 47 meters, supported by two pylons with a height of 73 meters.
Tulaylay said the construction will run up to 60 months or 5 years.
“Hopefully if we will not experience any delay for DED, we are not promising but we will do our best to finish the project in less than 5 years if there are no problems encountered during the execution of the work,” Tulaylay said.
The project, once completed, is seen to facilitate the economic advancement of Davao Region, and further boost the tourism potential of IGACOS which is known for its pristine beach destinations.
The project cost is P 19.321 billion as bidded by the contractor.
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