Barangay council wants Monterrazas probed

CEBU, Philippines —  The Guadalupe Barangay Council is calling for a full-scale technical investigation into the drainage systems and water retention ponds of the Monterrazas de Cebu hillside development following the waist-deep floodwaters that inundated parts of Banawa and Guadalupe Proper during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.

Through Resolution No. 25-145, unanimously approved during its recent session, the Council raised “serious concerns that the water retention ponds and drainage systems of Monterrazas de Cebu may have contributed to unusually high volumes of surface runoff.”

The resolution also noted that “downstream communities experienced significant flooding, soil saturation, and slope instability,” conditions possibly linked to upstream land development and altered waterways.

Among the hardest-hit areas was the Banawa Creek, where floodwaters surged near MHAM College and Bo’s Coffee, reaching homes that had never experienced flooding before.

Guadalupe Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Chairman Matthew Jose H. Estenzo publicly underscored the worsening flood conditions and the need for urgent action.

“We are not talking enough about Banawa Creek,” Estenzo said, emphasizing its connection to the Arrabal River in Mambaling and how the mocha-colored floodwaters flowed through Barangays Labangon and Tisa during the typhoon.

The resolution formally requests the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), and the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) to conduct a comprehensive technical inspection of Monterrazas’ retention ponds, drainage infrastructure, and slope conditions.

It also urges the developer to present “all relevant permits, drainage and engineering plans, compliance documents, and flood mitigation measures” in a community dialogue, with findings to be endorsed to the Cebu City Government and other agencies “for further regulatory action, evaluation, or investigation.”

The motion was adopted en masse, with all councilors and SK Chairman Estenzo voting in favor. Only Councilor Eugenio Faelnar was absent, being on sick leave.

The Council’s move for accountability comes just months after Slater Young, Chief Strategic Officer of the Monterrazas developer, met with Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival on August 26, 2025, to discuss flood control initiatives.

According to the City’s Public Information Office, that meeting focused on the developer’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects, including the construction of detention ponds, drainage improvements, and road upgrades along Quijada Drive.

As Cebu continues to assess the devastation caused by Typhoon Tino, Guadalupe’s barangay and youth leaders are reinforcing the call for transparency, technical oversight, and proactive flood mitigation, stressing the urgency of inter-agency coordination and community vigilance to prevent a repeat of the disaster. (CEBU NEWS)