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Alang KaNemo: The story of one family's struggle to protect Paradise Reef in Samal Island.

Greetings of Peace!

We are the Rodriguez Family – pioneering investors in Samal Island, and blessed with the environmental stewardship of Paradise Reef located along the beachfront properties of Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort, all the way to Costa Marina Beach Resort.  Our extended family has protected and preserved Paradise Reef as a de facto marine sanctuary as far back as the 1930s - or for almost 100 years, spanning 15 presidents of the country, and 24 terms of mayors since the founding of Samal Island as a municipality in 1948.

We write to you in your capacity as significant stakeholders, environmental advocates, and concerned Davao citizens.  We face a historic juncture in the much-awaited construction of a bridge connecting Davao City to Samal Island to usher in the full development of the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS). Prior to the Enhanced Community Quarantine, the Philippine News Agency announced last March 8, 2020 that the Samal Island-Davao City Connector (SIDC) bridge is scheduled to push through with its construction in 2021. The landing site of the said bridge in Samal Island is the Paradise Reef fronting the beach properties from Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort to Costa Marina Beach Resort.

Unfortunately, this landing site in Paradise Reef is home to rich marine life and coral reefs. In a recent marine science study conducted by highly-respected, credible and independent marine biologists led by Dr. Filipina Sotto, the Commissioner of the Philippine Commission on Sports SCUBA Diving (PCSSD), Dr. Cleto Nañola from the University of the Philippines-Mindanao, and Dr. Alfredo Medina, CEO of Carabao Divers, it was concluded that without any realignment, the Paradise Reef’s rich marine biodiversity will suffer irreparable, irremediable, and incalculable damage. 

We wrote to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar to realign the SIDC Bridge’s landing site, as wrongfully-designed by Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong Ltd. - Philippine Branch (also known as Arup), in order to protect and preserve the Paradise Reef.  To avert this enormous threat to the marine environment and food security and certain to cause unabated air and noise pollution to the serene beach areas, the Rodriguez Family has offered to donate to DPWH a portion of El Paril Beach Resort (formerly Lumos Property) as an alternative landing site with much less environmental impact.

Furthermore, Davao City would also be adversely affected by the current Arup alignment, which will ultimately destroy life in Paradise Reef.  Traffic experts have asserted that on the Davao City-side, the location of the land portion for the bridge at Barangay Vince Hizon Sr. will cause horrendous traffic problems.  The precise bridge alignment landing at Paradise Reef will emanate from along heavily traffic-congested R. Castillo St. and Lizada Road near Azuela Cove and South Bay Lumber Co.  It will only worsen the terrible traffic conditions at this extremely busy portion of the Daang Maharlika Highway in Buhangin District, especially at peak hours. 

We believe that if we inform the concerned citizens of both Davao and Samal Island on the serious adverse consequences of Arup’s ill-designed bridge on both sides of Davao City and Samal Island, the people, as well as your good self, will be motivated to urgently act to serve and protect the public good before it is too late.

We, therefore, humbly and respectfully request for your support through the following initiatives:

 1. Like and share our ‘Save Paradise Reef’ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/saveparadisereef

2. Advocate our petition to realign the bridge through our online Signature Campaign here!

With your invaluable support, we aim to build a broad multi-stakeholders coalition for the protection of our marine biodiversity in our “Save Paradise Reef” Campaign.  We would be honored and appreciative of whatever help and suggestions you can generously offer to us. 

We wish to furnish you for your reference a copy of our recent official letter (with attachments) we have sent to 75 addressees from various concerned Heads of National Government Agencies and their Regional Offices to relevant Local Government Units and Local Legislative Councils, and other institutions including the Asian Development Bank.  

Together with you (and your well-respected organization), we can each contribute to build the SIDC Bridge consistent with sustainable development and the lessons from this pandemic crisis. We should harness, rather than destroy, the eco-tourism potential in IGaCoS, Davao Region and the Davao Gulf as a Key Marine Biodiversity Area so we can leave our lasting legacy to our next generation of Dabawenyos.

Thank you very much.  WE BUILD WITH NATURE AS ONE!