DENR to bring Davao sports dome case to Supreme Court

DAVAO CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to elevate to the Supreme Court the case it filed against the city government for its refusal to secure an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for the construction of a sports dome.

While the DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) asserts that the city government should secure an ECC for the construction of the Artica Sports Dome in Sitio Langub, Barangay Ma-a, the latter insists that it should instead be issued a certificate of non-coverage (CNC).

According to the DENR, the sports dome sits on an earthquake fault, which the city government has contested, claiming that a study by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) shows that the site is safe enough for structures such as a sports dome.

In a recent decision, Regional Trial Court Judge Wenceslao Ibabao ruled that the city government should be exempted from getting an ECC for the sports dome project, and ordered the DENR to issue the corresponding CNC.

The DENR subsequently filed a motion for reconsideration which the judge denied.

The court ruling prompted DENR’s plan to bring the case to the High Court, stressing that it is its job to ensure the safety of the public by making structural projects such as the sports dome, meet standard specifications and design requirements.

"Whatever will be the decision of the courts, at least it would be clear that we, in the DENR, have been doing our jobs and we should not be blamed in case something happens," said Ma. Luisa Jacinto, the MGB’s Southern Mindanao director.