A fact-finding committee under the Cebu City government has recommended allowing the Monterrazas de Cebu property development to continue, finding that its on-site water retention systems drastically exceed requirements.
The review included site inspections involving city engineers, environmental officers and building officials. In TIC Resolution No. 2026-008 adopted on September 8, 2026, the city’s Technical Infrastructure Committee (TIC) approved a fact-finding report submitted to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council). The review was triggered by concerns surrounding a Cease and Desist Order previously issued against the developer, Mont Property Group, and directives from Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña to investigate whether the mountain-side development is worsening floods in neighboring areas.
During last year’s Typhoon Tino, the developer was blamed for causing flooding in Cebu including barangay Cotcot, located 25 kilometers away from the property.
The 27-Million Gallon Defense
The heart of the committee’s recommendation to allow the 118-hectare project to proceed rests on its massive drainage infrastructure.
According to the report, a joint-agency inspection conducted in July 2026 by the TIC, the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), the Office of the Building Official (OBO), and the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) verified that the developer has built functional engineering controls.
In “Catchment 01” (the Montelago sector), which sits at the center of the Guadalupe flooding complaints, city engineers confirmed that Monterrazas built seven detention ponds with an actual capacity of 27,483.4 cubic meters — more than three times the design requirement of 8,220 cubic meters.
The committee noted that this massive excess capacity allows the development to trap heavy rainfall on-site and release it at a slow, controlled rate into municipal drainage lines rather than overwhelming the community below.
The City’s Verdict: No Single Culprit
While the committee said it cannot conclude that Monterrazas is “solely or directly responsible” for low-lying flood incidents, it also added that the report does not prove the development “does not contribute, directly or indirectly, to any flooding.”
Instead of pointing at a single developer, the city’s technical team highlighted a chaotic, aging drainage system outside of Monterrazas’ borders that naturally causes water to back up:
No retention ponds: The committee discovered that older neighboring developments were built years ago with zero water retention ponds. Raw rainwater from these developments flow completely unchecked down the slope. This allows raw runoff to cascade straight down toward the Guadalajara area.
Mismatched drainage: Differing sizes of existing concrete culverts in the Guadalajara area create natural bottlenecks. The pipes choke down from 1500 mm down to 450 mm, creating a severe municipal bottleneck.
Altered waterways: A separate, adjacent high-rise development has physically altered a downstream drainage alignment, slowing water flow toward the city’s main creek.
Ultimately, the committee concluded that resolving the Guadalupe area’s flooding issues cannot be achieved by halting a project whose internal safety dams are verified and working. Instead, it requires the Cebu City Government, local barangay leaders, Monterrazas, and competing developers to collectively sit down and re-engineer the entire mountain watershed.
Mont Property Group welcomed the findings and said it remains committed to working with the Cebu City Government, Barangay Guadalupe and neighboring communities on flood-mitigation efforts.
“Mont Property Group will continue to ensure all of our projects comply with the Government’s regulations. Our top priority has always been the welfare of our neighboring communities and making sure that we protect the environmental integrity of these shared spaces.” Camille Bondad, General Manager of Mont Property Group said.
