TACLOBAN CITY — An advocacy group composed of various organizations, scientists, fisherfolk and concerned individuals is demanding more disclosures from the Department of Public Works and Highways as it moves toward the resumption of construction of the P4.48-billion Tacloban Causeway project.

The group Save Kankabatok Advocacy said the DPWH regional office has remained mum on how the project was approved, the lack of consultation with the community and stakeholders, and the results of various scientific studies that were allegedly conducted to protect the ecosystem of the bay.

“We’re not buying its storm surge protection capability, travel time reduction, and contribution to regional tourism. Does this really benefit the general populace or just satisfy the capriciousness of a few?” the group said in a statement.

Earlier, DPWH-8 assured the public that it is taking initiatives to ensure the proper implementation of the remaining components of the project. This includes a joint inventory with the Commission on Audit of the works covered by the terminated contracts.

DPWH-8 said the findings of the inspection will also serve as the basis for identifying the portions of the project that may be continued and subsequently subjected to rebidding or proposed for future funding.

The national government has already poured a total of P3.97 billion into the project under the General Appropriations Act — P880 million in 2022, P1.92 billion in 2024 and P1.17 billion in 2025.

Eight contracts have been awarded primarily to Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation, owned by the family of Co, and LNR Construction, but six of these were terminated when the flood control scandal broke out.

The group said the DPWH should have been transparent before it started implementing the project. It said DPWH officials scrambled to seek certifications of no objection from several barangays in 2025 when construction was already in full swing.

“If community acceptance was necessary, why was it not secured before implementation? Does this not warrant a serious public investigation into how this project was planned, approved, and implemented, especially in the wake of the country’s massive flood-control scandal?” the group asks.

The group also reminded the DPWH that Cancabato Bay is a marine protected area and a mariculture zone where its mangroves serve as breeding grounds for fish and other marine products.

“Warnings on endangering the city’s food stocks and the environmental harms resulting from the causeway project have been raised way before the project was underway and have become impossible to ignore,” it added.

With the apparent plan to resume construction work, the group said the DENR should make a full disclosure before any work is done.

“Before another peso is spent and another cubic meter of soil from our already denuded and diminishing hills is dumped into the bay, the public deserves full environmental disclosure, independent scientific assessment, meaningful consultation with affected communities, and accountability for the project’s existing impact,” the group said.