AN OFFICIAL from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region (DENR-Davao) has revealed that despite the Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) construction, corals are still thriving in the area.
Lawyer Ma. Mercedes V. Dumagan, regional director of DENR-Davao, made this statement during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on Tuesday morning, July 16, 2024, at the DENR office in Lanang, Davao City.
“Based on the findings there are still corals thriving even in the alignment of the bridge while construction is being conducted, although naay ma igo-igo nga gamay [there are some that are hit] but from the very start we have been saying that the conditions of the corals there are poor, poor na ang kanyang [its considered] category,” she said.
Dumagan added that several corals have been affected by the bridge construction and emphasized that coral rehabilitation is possible.
She reiterated that coral rehabilitation is one of the mitigating measures required by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) after the bridge construction. She then cited rehabilitation efforts in some parts of Samal; Mabini, Davao de Oro; and Mati City in Davao Oriental.
The regional director shared that they have conducted water assessments and have coordinated with the multipartite monitoring team (MMT) on the environmental effects of the SIDC.
“Right now, they are still conducting the monitoring, I think the conduct of the MMT is semi-annual but with the pressing issues right now they will be conducting it very soon,” she said.
She added that the department under the Conservation and Development division and the Panabo City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Panabo-Cenro) have conducted their underwater assessment to check the impact of the bridge on the corals.
In a press conference last June 10, 2024, DPWH reported that no coral reefs were impacted by the ongoing construction, saying that they will install a dust curtain and place artificial coral reefs when construction starts at the sea.
However, the Sustainable Davao Movement (SDM) contested these claims and said that major pre-construction activities by the DPWH have already affected the corals in the area.
The environmental group highlighted affected corals such as centennial table corals, which cannot be replaced by artificial reefs. They emphasized that the restoration process of the corals is complex and usually takes years, not to mention how it will affect the livelihood of the local fisherfolk in the area. RGP