Sweeping review of upland developments in Cebu City looms

Local

CEBU CITY is poised to launch a sweeping environmental audit of all construction and development projects in its mountain barangays.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved earlier this week a resolution filed by Councilor Paul Labra calling for a citywide audit of upland projects.

This comes amid intensifying public concern following the Typhoon Tino floods and the ongoing multi-agency probe into the Monterrazas de Cebu development.

In the measure titled “Resolution Calling for an Environmental Audit of Construction and Development Projects in Cebu City’s Mountain Barangays,” the council stressed that full compliance with environmental laws has become an urgent public welfare priority, especially after the storm exposed serious vulnerabilities in the city’s upland communities.

The SP anchored its action on the 1987 Constitution’s guarantee of a balanced and healthy ecology and on Section 16 of the Local Government Code, which mandates local governments to protect public welfare.

“Typhoon Tino recently caused significant damage in Cebu City, particularly in the mountain barangays, underscoring the importance of ensuring that construction and development projects in these areas comply with environmental regulations,” the resolution states.

Labra, who moved for the resolution’s approval, said the planned audit aims to identify compliance gaps, structural risks, and environmental vulnerabilities.

He emphasized that “mitigating landslides, flooding and other hazards begins with strict and verifiable adherence to the law.”

Under the directive, the city will conduct a thorough review of all ongoing and completed developments in the uplands.

The audit is expected to examine whether projects have complied with their Environmental Compliance Certificates, whether drainage and stormwater detention systems are adequate, and whether slope stabilization measures and earth-moving works were performed according to approved plans.

It will also assess land-use conformity, construction activities within sensitive areas, and indications of vegetation loss, erosion, and altered waterways.

The council’s action comes as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) continues its high-profile, multi-agency investigation into the Monterrazas de Cebu project in Barangay Guadalupe.

That probe was launched after muddy floodwaters rushed downhill during Typhoon Tino, raising questions about whether the massive hillside development’s drainage systems, slope cuts, and vegetation loss intensified the flooding.

Residents shared videos of fast-moving runoff cascading from the uplands, prompting further scrutiny of whether the project’s stormwater controls were adequate.

Barangay Guadalupe officials and affected households have since called for a full review of the development’s drainage and retention systems, while the city government began its own assessment of upland waterways.

Early findings from DENR’s joint inspection flagged several concerns, including the drastic loss of vegetation after only 11 of the 745 trees previously inventoried inside the property were found remaining.

Inspectors also observed that detention ponds were fewer and smaller than those approved in project plans. They noted significant landform alterations and cliffing that may have affected natural drainage paths and slope stability, as well as possible construction activities within areas classified as timberland, which require further documentation.

The ongoing investigation aims to determine whether these deficiencies contributed to the severe flooding that displaced residents and damaged properties during the storm.

For its part, MONT Property Group, the developer of Monterrazas, has denied the allegations. It described claims of massive tree loss and worsened flooding as “grievously false” and “geographically impossible.”

The company maintained that it followed its Environmental Compliance Certificate and Development Permit, welcomed the DENR’s independent review, and criticized what it called “premature pronouncements” implicating the project.(TGP)