The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has started its investigation into the Monterrazas de Cebu project to determine whether it complies with environmental laws.
The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Barangay Guadalupe has also urged the concerned agencies to inspect all retention ponds and the drainage system of Monterrazas following the “unprecedented” flooding that inundated parts of Guadalupe and nearby villages during Typhoon “Tino.”
Unprecedented flooding
Guadalupe, Cebu City’s most populous village, experienced waist-deep, “mocha-colored” flooding during Typhoon Tino — an event residents described as unlike anything they had seen before.
Many residents pointed to Monterrazas de Cebu, a luxury residential development perched in the mountains of Guadalupe, as a potential contributor to the flooding that hit the area.
The development includes The Rise at Monterrazas, a 19-story condominium built into the mountainside — a design inspired by the Banaue Rice Terraces — which has drawn criticism from some groups as an environmental concern.
Multi-agency probe launched
Amid public backlash over the project, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) formed a multi-sectoral team and launched a comprehensive on-site investigation into Monterrazas.
The team is composed of DENR in Central Visayas, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), Cebu Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Cebu City government and Barangay Guadalupe.
Compliance, safety in focus
The investigation will cover the project’s compliance with the conditions of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) and other relevant environmental regulations.
Inspectors will assess the effectiveness of Monterrazas’ drainage, slope protection, and runoff management systems, as well as evaluate slope stability and potential risks of landslides and flooding.
The team will likewise look into possible alterations to the natural landform and the project’s proximity to timberland areas, along with signs of erosion, siltation, or obstructions in nearby tributaries and waterways.
“If its investigation finds any violation of ECC conditions or environmental regulations, the DENR will not hesitate to enforce corrective actions, including suspension, penalties or other legal remedies as provided by law,” said the DENR in a statement.
In the meantime, the developer was directed to submit its engineering, geological, and geohazard assessment, which will be validated by the joint inspection team.
Youth council steps in
The SK of Barangay Guadalupe has called for a separate investigation into the drainage systems and retention ponds of Monterrazas.
In a Resolution No. 25-145, the youth council asked the city government, DENR, MGB, CENRO and Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to conduct a technical inspection of the ponds’ capacity and environmental compliance.
In a Facebook post, SK chair Matt Estenzo said the recurring floods near a medical school and a coffee shop had reached waist-deep levels.
The floods, which he described as “mocha-colored,” also reached homes that had never been flooded before.
“If you didn’t know, this creek connects all the way to Arrabal River in Mambaling, passing through Labangon and Tisa, which explains the same mocha-colored floodwaters with traces of anapog (limestone) seen in those areas,” he wrote.
Contributor
