DENR lifts halt order on Monterrazas project in Cebu

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has lifted the cessation of operations order against the Monterrazas residential project in Cebu City after the company behind it carried out remedial works, complied with requirements, and settled penalties.

In a statement on Friday, Environmental Management Bureau Region 7 director John Edward Ang confirmed this as Mont Property Group Inc. implemented corrective measures required under its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).

Ang explained that the Mont Property has constructed and enhanced 23 detention ponds with a combined capacity of approximately 52,468 cubic meters.

EMB Region 7 said the ponds are engineered to contain and regulate surface runoff, attenuate peak flows, and help mitigate potential flooding impacts on downstream communities.

The company also implemented the following corrective actions:

• Construction and enhancement of 23 detention ponds strategically located across the development site to intercept surface runoff.
• Establishment of approximately 52,468 cubic meters of detention capacity to hold rain run-off and prevent flooding on downstream areas.
• Installation of inlet/outlet control structures and sediment traps to improve water quality and prolong the operational life of the detention system.
• Site stabilization measures, such as vegetative cover and erosion control blankets, to minimize soil loss.

EMB also directed the firm to submit as-built drawings, operation and maintenance plans, and hydrologic monitoring data, and has required a regular maintenance schedule for sediment removal, vegetation management, and structural inspections.

“EMB Region 7 recognizes the importance of timely remedial action to protect communities and the environment,” Ang said.

“The detention ponds and associated measures represent a meaningful step toward mitigating flood risk, but continued monitoring and maintenance are essential to ensure long-term effectiveness,” he added.

EMB Region 7 has also set the following next steps to ensure compliance and performance.

• Ongoing monitoring: EMB will monitor the detention ponds’ performance during rainfall events and review hydrologic data submitted by the proponent.
• Documentation review: The bureau will verify as-built drawings, operation and maintenance plans, and monitoring reports to confirm that the works conform to permit conditions and engineering specifications.
• Maintenance requirements: The proponent has been instructed to implement a regular maintenance schedule for sediment removal, vegetation management, and structural inspections.
• Contingency measures: Should monitoring reveal deficiencies or insufficient capacity under extreme conditions, EMB will require additional mitigation measures and set timelines for corrective action.
• Stakeholder coordination: EMB will coordinate with local government units and community representatives to share monitoring results and ensure downstream safety.

In November 2025, DENR halted the upscale, rice-terraces-inspired residential project in upland Barangay Guadalupe after finding three violations in its construction.

The DENR said one of the violations that it identified is that out of over 700 trees in 2022, only 11 remain after a tree-cutting permit was obtained for the project.

In a 24 Oras report, celebrity and project lead engineer Slater Young claimed in his YouTube account that the residential project is sustainable and has an irrigation system, which resembles the one used by farmers that could collect rainwater into a tank. He added that the project also has an irrigation system.

However, amid the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, a netizen posted a video that has gone viral showing a surge of floodwaters.

After the storm, a bald section of the hillside where the project stands was exposed and became visible.

In December 2025, DENR filed a criminal case against the firm due to unlawful possession of implements and devices used by forest officers, which is punishable by two to four years in prison, a P1,000 to P10,000 fine, confiscation of the items, and automatic cancellation of permit or license.

Backed by science

Meanwhile, Young maintained that the Monterrazas de Cebu did not contribute to the massive flooding brought by Typhoon Tino, citing a study of the University of the Philippines (UP).

“And now that truth has come out. An independent study conducted by the University of the Philippines, these were done by scientists with no connection to the project, no stake in the project,” he said in a video statement posted on his Facebook page on Sunday night.

“They found that Monterrazas did not cause or worsen the flooding. What caused it was the sheer volume of rain. Typhoon Tino dumped over a month’s worth of rainfall on Cebu in one single day. And that amount of water would have flooded those areas regardless of what was or was not built,” Young added. 

The Internet personality-engineer was citing a study posted by UP’s Environmental Hydrology Laboratory in March. 

“After development of Monterrazas de Cebu, water levels did not rise as fast during heavy rain. Results show the detention ponds help mitigate occurrence of flash floods,” the study said. 

“When rainfall produces more runoff (water flowing on surface of land) than the detention ponds can hold, the excess water is released slowly rather than all at once,” it added.

Young expressed hope that the results of the study would help silence the misinformation about the project. 

“This is not our conclusion, it is theirs, and this study is public and anyone who wishes to go through it is free to do so. Several independent investigative bodies reviewed the same evidence and they have reached the same conclusion. So we hope that all discussions moving forward are guided by this verified truth,” he said. 

He also expressed his condolences to everyone who lost their loved ones to the calamity.

“We first want to express our sincerest condolences to everyone who has lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods. That tragedy was real, and it deserves real answers, not speculation, not misinformation,” he said. 

Young explained that they decided not to speak at first and let investigations proceed.

“When the accusations were made against the Monterrazas Project, our first instinct was to respond immediately,” said Young. “But we held back because we believed that the right thing to do was to let this proper investigations run its course, to let the science and evidence speak rather than to add to all the noise and confusion, and that is why we chose to stay quiet.” 

“We understand that some, no study or finding will ever be enough. Grief does not follow a timeline and we respect that,” he added.

“But what are here to say is this: Cebu deserves real solutions and real solutions can only come from correctly identifying the real cause. That is work that is ongoing and Monterraza’s is committed to being part of it, I am committed to becoming a part of it.” —Mariel Celine Serquiña and Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF/JMA, GMA News