MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) has issued a Writ of Kalikasan against the China-funded Samal Island - Davao City Connector (SIDC) Bridge Project, and has referred the case for a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) to the Court of Appeals (CA).
The respondents include the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Samal Island Protected Landscape and Seascape Protected Area Management Board, and the China Road and Bridge Corp.
In a press briefing during the first day of the resumption of the SC session on Tuesday, spokesperson Camille Ting said the tribunal "required respondents to file a verified return on the petition within a non-extendable period of 10 days after service of the writ."
"The Supreme Court referred the prayer for a temporary environmental protection order to the Court of Appeals - Cagayan de Oro, for action," Ting added.
As a rule, so-called questions of fact in cases must be settled before lower courts, as the SC generally rules exclusively on questions of law.
Various groups have filed a petition before the SC to halt the construction of the PHP23 billion project that aims to connect Davao City and Samal, Davao del Norte.
The petitioners claimed the project will cause “actual, serious, and irreversible damage” to coral reefs in Paradise Reef, Samal Island, and the marine protected area in Davao City. PNA