Criminal raps filed vs Monterrazas developer

December 11, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Criminal complaints have been filed against the developer of the Monterrazas residential project in Cebu City over alleged violations of forestry and environmental laws, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said yesterday.

DENR Assistant Secretary for legal affairs and enforcement Norlito Eneran said the charges were filed on Dec. 3 for illegal possession of tools and equipment intended for use by forest officers.

The offense is punishable by imprisonment of two to four years, fines ranging from P1,000 to P10,000, confiscation of the items and possible cancellation or revocation of permits or licenses.

“We filed a criminal case for violation of Section 77 of Residential Decree 705 or the Revised Forestry Code against the corporation,” Eneran said.

He said the filing of charges was based on DENR findings that the Monterrazas de Cebu resulted in the loss of trees. The company also failed to secure a permit as required under the Clean Water Act, and did not comply with 10 of 33 conditions set under its environmental compliance certificate (ECC), particularly regarding water retention ponds, siltation and runoff management.

The DENR itself has come under fire for issuing the ECC.

It said the developer may face additional charges for violating the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System Act and the Clean Water Act.

The project developer, Mont Property Group, has denied allegations that more than 700 trees were felled during the construction, saying only shrubs and secondary vegetations were cleared.

Mont Property also refuted claims linking the project to recent floodings in Cebu, saying that a majority of flood-affected areas were in separate drainage basins.

The company said it had complied with regulations and mitigation measures, noting that although the DENR required detention ponds with a capacity of 26,701 cubic meters, the developer built a system that can hold 40,413 cubic meters, exceeding the requirement by 51 percent. It was intended to store water equivalent to seven Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The DENR, however, said Mont Property failed to secure a discharge permit, as required under the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004. The DENR also deemed the planned centralized retention pond and 15 additional structures inadequate.

Mont Property denied claims that the project contributed to severe flooding in Liloan, Mandaue and Talisay during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, saying the Monterrazas site in Guadalupe is far from those areas and sits within a different watershed.