Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte Mayor Al David Uy (PNA photo by Che Palicte)
SAMAL ISLAND, Davao del Norte – As the long-awaited PHP23-billion Samal-Davao bridge project breaks ground in July this year, an official confirmed on Saturday that its construction will commence in the middle of 2021.
In an interview on Saturday, Mayor Al David Uy said the plan to construct the bridge will be slated next year as the detailed engineering design of the project has been worked out.
“It will be in the middle of 2021. The Consul General of China told me that the funds are there already and everything has been prepared,” he said.
With a length of about 2,830 meters, the bridge would provide a vital link for trade and tourism for the island and mainland Davao City through reduced transport costs and faster flow of people, goods, and resources.
Uy was also optimistic that the project will be pushed through as President Rodrigo Duterte has supported its establishment.
"We are hoping that the President will be here during the groundbreaking. We are asking for his availability on the said schedule,” he added.
The groundbreaking, according to Uy, will be held simultaneously at Azuela Cove in Davao City and Barangay Caliclic, here -- the two points that will be connected by the planned bridge.
As to the negotiation on the affected families, he said only two resort owners remain hesitant to cooperate with the project.
He also assured that the affected families will be compensated as the national government has allocated budget for the road’s right of way.
“We hope that no more complaints will be brought up,” he added.
In January, Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte said the project had been delayed because one of the property owners threatened to file a writ of Kalikasan against the project.
A writ of Kalikasan is a legal remedy under Philippine law that provides protection of one’s constitutional right to a healthy environment.
However, Governor Edwin Jubahib assured that the environment would be protected throughout the phases of the bridge construction.
“No corals will be affected and there will be no displacement among the affected families during the construction process," he said.
Conceptualized 40 years ago, the project has been identified as among the big-ticket infrastructure initiatives under Duterte’s administration. (PNA)
