In a letter to Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña dated June 15, Mont Property Group Inc. said 14 identified catchment areas were served by these 24 existing detention ponds across the 118-hectare property.
“At present, the 24 completed and operational detention ponds provide a combined storage capacity of 62,710.5 cubic meters, which substantially exceeds the required capacity,” said the developer through lawyer Theamer Nina Cañete, junior partner at MN Law.
According to the developer, the detention ponds effectively captured rainwater runoff generated by heavy rainfall on June 4.
The letter was included in the agenda of the City Council session on June 23, a week after it passed a resolution sponsored by Osmeña that asked Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival to stop any development at Monterrazas until such a time that a major typhoon would hit Cebu and prove that these detention ponds actually work.
Osmeña told his colleagues in the City Council that mountainside development must be undertaken carefully and that detention ponds should be able to hold runoff water to prevent flooding in low-lying communities.
No need for CDO
But Archival, in interviews with local media, rejected calls for a cease-and-desist order, saying a report had been submitted confirming that the required detention ponds had been constructed.
He added that the city also had to rely on the findings of experts from national agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which has jurisdiction over large-scale developments.
In the letter, Mont Property told the City Council that it had submitted an updated Detailed Schematic Diagram and Flood Mitigation Plan on May 18, outlining measures to address flooding concerns.
It also submitted an April progress report on the implementation of flood control and mitigation measures in compliance with commitments made during a meeting with the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) on Nov. 13, 2025, and under City Council Resolution No. 17-3083-2026 dated March 24.
More than the requirement
Mont Property initially built 18 detention ponds since based on the approved drainage and flood mitigation design, the required total detention pond storage capacity was only 26,701 cu.m.
But the developer went on to construct six additional detention ponds, bringing the total number of detention ponds to 24 which had been completed and fully operational.
With 24 detention ponds, the total storage capacity now reached 62,710.5 cu.m., 240 percent more of what was required to the developer.
Mont Property said it has continued to submit detention pond monitoring reports to EMb-7—copies of which were submitted to the Cebu City Council and Barangay Guadalupe
“All subsequent submissions have been undertaken as part of the Project's continuing monitoring, maintenance, reporting, and compliance obligations to ensure the sustained effectiveness and proper operation of these facilities,” the letter said.
Ponds are working
The latest monitoring report was submitted on June 8 and covered the rainfall event of June 3.
According to Mont Property, post-rainfall inspections conducted on June 4 confirmed that runoff water generated within the project site was effectively captured by the 24 operational detention ponds.
“All detention ponds were found to be in good condition, with water levels ranging from dry to low or non-critical levels, and with no significant erosion or sediment transport observed,” Mont Property said.
The inspection results also confirmed that the detention pond system functioned as designed during the monitored rainfall event. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
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