DENR halts Santa Fe construction project in Cebu

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) has suspended the environmental clearance certificate (ECC) of Fifth Avenue Property Development Corp., after its Stria Santa Fe Project in Cebu was found to have exceeded the maximum height allowed in the area.

In a statement released Monday, the DENR said the Stria Santa Fe Project is only allowed to have a maximum height of 10 meters or three floors to preserve the landscape profile, but regional officials of the DENR and the EMB found that the project reached four floors.

“Any development that goes beyond the allowable limits not only breaches regulatory requirements but also risks causing damage to the environment,” DENR Central Visayas Regional Executive Director Paquito Melicor, Jr. said in the statement.

The EMB earlier ordered Fifth Avenue Property Development Corp. to pay P270,000 to address the violation, while the DENR issued three successive notices of violation — July 31, September 17, and December 18, 2024.

The EMB Region 7 then suspended the ECC on August 15, 2025, after the company failed to pay the fine.

GMA News Online is still trying to reach out to Fifth Avenue Property Development Corp. for comment on the matter. —KG, GMA Integrated News