Developer wants halt order lifted

CEBU, Philippines - The officials of Genvi Development Corp., the developer of the Monterazzas de Cebu Subdivision in the mountains of barangays Tisa, Guadalupe and Sapangdaku requested Mayor Michael Rama to lift the suspension order on their project saying they have complied with the requirements set by City Hall.

Genvi President Augusto Villalon said that his office sent a letter to the mayor last November 16, although Rama said that he did not receive such letter yet as of yesterday.

Villalon escorted reporters to his development site yesterday and showed them the 13 desilted water catchments and the other flood mitigating measures installed to help prevent the rainwater from reaching the lowland areas.

Several houses in the lowland areas of Guadalupe and Labangon were flooded when the city experienced heavy rain last July that prompted the mayor to issue a cease and desist order against Genvi.

When Rama ordered the suspension of the development works of Genvi, he required the developer to comply with six requirements, among them is to initiate and undertake soil erosion measures within the areas covered by the development.

Villalon yesterday showed the media several coco-fiber mattings that were installed in sloped portions of the development sites and planted with grass to help prevent soil erosion.

Genvi also constructed small concrete water impounding areas to reduce the volume and velocity of water flowing down to the lowland areas.

Villalon also said they already conducted massive and regular desilting of settling ponds so these can accommodate more water whenever there will be heavy rains.   Villalon also said since July those families whose houses were flooded have not complained anymore and his office already assisted those affected by the floods.

Through it all he still maintains their development is not the cause of the flooding.

He said the officials of the Grand Legacy Subdivision, situated in the lower portion of Guadalupe, already agreed that Genvi to improve their subdivision’s drainage systems and to install five-foot diameter culverts.

Architect Joseph Espina said Genvi had allocated P12 million for the improvement of the 350-meter drainage system that passes through the Grand Legacy Subdivision that will connect to the city’s drainage at Linap Creek in Banawa.

Rama said once he will receive the copy of Genvi’s letter he will immediately endorse it to drainage and flood experts for advise, but he still wants to personally see what Genvi has done to convince him to lift the CDO.

He said to see is to believe.

Alvin Santillana, executive director of the Local Risk Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, said the best way to test the mitigating process made by Genvi is to wait for the rain.

Above all, Santillana said Genvi should consider the people living in the area if they will develop it.

“Dili na maayo if for their own profit lang. Maayo pa’y di sila mag-develop diha kung dili nila ma-address ang problema,” he said.

Monterrazas is a 210-hectare residential community high above sea level promising views of the cities of Cebu and Mandaue and even Mactan and Bohol.

During the term of former mayor Tomas R. Osmeña, the latter also suspended the development permit of Monterrazas after several families in the lowland areas were also flooded by rainwater from the development site. (FREEMAN)