Until water catchments are done: Stop Monterrazas - Tomas

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña is seeking a cease-and-desist order against the Mont Property Group to prevent further development activities at the Monterrazas de Cebu until all required water catchments are completed and fully operational.

Osmeña is set to formally file a resolution on the matter during today’s regular session of the City Council.

“What I’m proposing for Monterrazas is not unreasonable: simply that the water catchments be completed before any other earthmoving takes place. Until then, all further development is subject to a CEASE and DESIST,” Osmeña said in a post on his social media account.

He stressed that the risks posed by the project are ultimately borne by residents living below the development site.

“The poor who live underneath the development” are the ones most vulnerable, Osmeña said, adding, “I will be their voice.”

This is not the first time the vice mayor has raised concerns over large-scale developments and public safety.

Osmeña recalled his 2018 proposal for a moratorium on high-rise buildings that exceeded the reach of Cebu City’s lone 18-story ladder truck, when he was still mayor.

“Why do we insist on waiting for someone to die before doing anything? In 2018, I proposed a moratorium on new buildings taller than what our single 18-story ladder truck could reach. I was called anti-business and anti-progress simply for saying lives are more important than buildings,” Osmeña said yesterday.

Five years later, he noted, a 35-story condominium tower caught fire under circumstances that made the blaze impossible to control.

“But just 5 years later a 35-story condominium caught a fire so catastrophic it was impossible to control. We can only be grateful that it was still under construction and unoccupied. How many would have died if there were people living in that condominium?” he added.

Osmeña has maintained that no major development should proceed without adequate safety and mitigation infrastructure in place.

His latest resolution formalizes that position, particularly with regard to Monterrazas, and urges Mayor Nestor Archival to take immediate action.

“To encourage the City Mayor, Hon. Nestor D. Archival, Sr. to issue a Cease and Desist Order covering all development activities of the Mont Property Group, except the development relating to the water catchment,” part of the proposed resolution reads.

The measure further states that the cease-and-desist order should remain in effect until all water catchments have been fully completed and are operational.

Last week, the City Council received a letter from Mont Property Group detailing its flood-control and mitigation initiatives in compliance with Resolution No. 17-3039-2026. In the letter, General Manager Marie Camille B. Bondad presented a schematic plan and monthly progress reports, stating that 24 detention ponds have already been completed, with eight more proposed.

According to the developer, the detention ponds have a combined capacity of 75,110.50 cubic meters—nearly three times the required 26,701 cubic meters.

Technical documents submitted by the company also showed completed drainage swales, slope protection measures, and holding tanks developed in partnership with Guadalupe Heights.

Mont Property Group likewise cited corporate social responsibility initiatives, including drain declogging and waste-hauling activities, although it acknowledged that improper garbage disposal remains a persistent challenge.

The Monterrazas project has been under public scrutiny for several years now.

In late 2025, Typhoon Tino triggered widespread flooding in Cebu City, prompting the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to suspend the Monterrazas project over alleged violations of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).

The suspension order was lifted in April 2026 after the developer implemented corrective measures and settled the corresponding penalties. Despite this, skepticism remains among civic groups and residents concerned about the project's environmental impact.

Osmeña has repeatedly warned that unchecked hillside development contributes to flooding and puts communities at risk.

He has also argued that city policies tend to favor wealthy developers over ordinary residents and has raised concerns that upland subdivisions could leave communities vulnerable if developers retain control of critical road networks and access routes. — (FREEMAN)