When the waters overflow and rules are overboard

After two typhoons consecutively struck Cebu, my social media feed was flooded, not just with portraits of streets turned into streams, but with commentary. Countless posts showed residents wading through brown, murky water, timelines filled with clips of cars submerged in the flood, and homes drenched in silt. Amid the online noise, netizens were quick to point fingers at Monterrazas de Cebu, scrutinizing the project and citing it as part of the problem. The online chatter was not arbitrary but a reflection of the growing concern about development in vulnerable areas and a reminder of how progress, when unchecked, has grave consequences.

?As I continued to scroll down further, I found myself asking: What happens when “progress” is allowed to clear not just landscapes but lives? Because when development expands without regard for environmental limits, the cost is often paid not in profit margins but in the safety of communities left at risk.

?The Monterrazas de Cebu project offered terraced homes, panoramic views of the Cebu skyline, and a modern sanctuary. But beyond the stellar marketing lies a troubled history that is marked by environmental instability, a revoked development plan, and communities left unsafe. In 2008, authorities ceased construction after a mudslide exposed the hazards of building on steep terrain. By 2011, heavy rains had caused severe flooding in nearby sites, worsened by land-clearing and road-cutting operations. While weather remains the chief catalyst of floods, construction practices surrounding the Monterrazas amplified local risk, a detail that the online discourse was intuitively concerned about.

?Yet the project was restored, now led by celebrity engineer Slater Young and the Mont Property Group, and branded as “eco-friendly”, approved, permitted, and reintroduced to the public as an emblem of modern development.

?However, an investigation conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed stark violations were committed by the real estate development company. From 745 trees recorded in 2022, only 11 remain, a result of an unaccounted loss of over 700 trees and a direct violation of the Forestry Code. Ten out of 33 environmental compliance conditions were not met. Stormwater systems, meant to intercept runoff, proved insufficient, and the detention ponds failed to contain overflow. Water-discharge permits required under the Clean Water Act were also lacking. These oversights may not be the primary cause of this year’s floods, but they undeniably weaken the land’s natural defenses and create risks that could have been prevented.

?The developers who continued development operations despite cautions and neglected environmental regulations should be held accountable, as well as the permitting authorities and local government agencies who allowed the project to be relaunched. Because if “development” is meant to carry a significant notion in Cebu, it must not compromise generating “wealth for some” while creating “risks for others.”

?Communities at the foot of Monterrazas are not abstractions. They are families who watch their streets turn into rivers at the onslaught of the first heavy rain, whose homes and livelihoods are at risk, and whose trust in institutions is eroded. What is the point of building a “terraced haven” when, for many, that paradise is built over their sense of safety when environmental regulations are just lines on paper and compliance is considered optional?

?The investigation into Monterrazas de Cebu should continue because if authorities truly care for the vulnerable and they believe in fairness and justice, they must hold accountable those who permitted a development that put lives at risk. What progress are we creating if rules and regulations exist only on paper, only to be breached, ignored, or waived away?

?This investigation is more than a protocol; it is necessary. It is a moment of reckoning for whether Cebu prioritizes ecological fairness over real estate development, whether laws protect people or are mere paperwork, and whether we allow another storm to expose what negligence refuses to acknowledge.

Criegtania Isabelle Calzita Third-year BA Communication student University of the Philippines Cebu