A criminal complaint has been initiated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) against the corporation behind the Monterrazas residential development in Cebu City, placing the long-debated hillside project back under scrutiny.
DENR Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs and Enforcement Atty. Norlito Eneran announced that the agency filed the case on December 3, 2025, citing a breach of Section 77 of Presidential Decree 705. “For the Monterrazas case, we already filed a criminal case on December 3, 2025, for violation of Section 77 of Presidential Decree No. 705 or the Revised Forestry Code against the corporation,” he said. The provision deals with unlawful possession of implements typically used by forest officers and carries penalties that may include imprisonment, fines, confiscation of equipment, and automatic cancellation of permits.
The complaint follows earlier findings by the DENR, which in November flagged several compliance issues linked to the project’s construction and its centralized retention pond. The agency reported that more than 700 trees were documented on the site in 2022, but only 11 remained despite the issuance of a tree-cutting permit. Officials also pointed to alleged violations of the country’s Environmental Impact Statement System and the Clean Water Act, saying the developer did not secure the required discharge permit. The DENR noted that the planned rainwater-catchment structures — including a major retention pond and 15 auxiliary facilities — remain insufficient for the scale and terrain of the development. It further stated that Monterrazas had supposedly breached ten of its 33 Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) conditions.
Mont Property Group, the company behind Monterrazas de Cebu, rejected earlier allegations regarding large-scale tree cutting. “The claim that Monterrazas de Cebu cut down more than 700 trees is grievously false, and we are confident that any evidence that may be presented to assert this narrative can easily be disproven,” the company said. It added that its permits allowed only the removal of shrubs and secondary undergrowth, saying, “Pursuant to our approved Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) and Development Permit, only shrubs and secondary undergrowth were cleared to facilitate the necessary earthworks.” The developer stressed that its Environmental Impact Statement, submitted to the Environmental Management Bureau in Region VII, found the site dominated by grass, shrubs, and small plants, with limited topsoil and vegetation unsuitable for farming.
Public concern intensified after heavy rains from Typhoon Tino triggered widespread flooding in Cebu, prompting speculation online that the mountainside project aggravated the situation. The development, designed by engineer and public figure Slater Young, became a focal point of criticism as images of inundated communities circulated on social media. Mont Property Group disputed the accusations and said the worst flood-hit zones lie outside the project’s watershed. “We are likewise aware of the misinformation circulating online that incorrectly attributes the widespread flooding across Cebu to our development. While we acknowledge the localized flooding observed in our vicinity and continue to coordinate with the proper authorities, it is important to clarify a simple geographic reality,” the company said. It emphasized that the property sits in Barangay Guadalupe, far from the most affected areas in Liloan, Mandaue, and Talisay, which it noted “suffered the most severe impacts.”
