The developer of the Alta Vista Subdivision in the upland area of Barangay Poblacion Pardo, Cebu City, was called out by the City Council due to the lack of a drainage system.
In a privilege speech during Wednesday’s regular session, Aug. 21, 2024, Councilor Jerry Guardo said that based on the inspection report of the Office of the Building Official (OBO), the subdivision has no rainwater catchment or materials recovery and wastewater treatment facilities constructed within the area.
Sta. Lucia Realty and Development Inc. is the developer of the Alta Vista Subdivision.
“Additionally, it was observed that the existing drainage canal for runoff water along the road of the subdivision was not connected to the city drainage, and in fact, the outfall of the subdivision drainage was in an open area,” Guardo said.
Guardo, chairman of the technical infrastructure committee, said that during his ocular inspection of the subdivision’s existing gutters and manholes along the sidewalk, there was no existing drainage system underneath.
This was after an endorsement, dated May 31, 2024, reached Guardo, requesting comments and recommendations as to the Drainage Tapping Permit of Alta Vista Subdivision.
He said that during downpours, the area below the subdivision experiences a strong burst of runoff water coming from the upland, making the barangay to be a flood-prone area.
Guardo presented video footage during the session, showing the heavy runoff water going down the paved roads of the subdivision.
He added that there are five areas within the subdivision that they have identified that could be constructed into a detention pond by the developer, but was not able to.
He stressed that this detention pond could have helped mitigate the downflow of water from the upland down to Barangay Poblacion Pardo and adjacent villages.
In a meeting last June 3, Guardo said that he was informed by the president of the Alta Vista Homeowners Association (HOA), lawyer Michal Gatchalian, that the subdivision had a few manholes with covers but no drainage system was built within the subdivision.
This prompted him to conduct an ocular inspection in the area together with the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the Technical Infrastructure Committee (TIC), OBO, City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) Technical Team led by Lilian Gucela, and the President of Alta Vista HOA.
“But upon opening these manholes, it has no drainage system connected therewith; instead, it is just for display,” Guardo said.
“In essence, Sta. Lucia Realty Development Inc. is not compliant with its mandate to provide homeowners with all these amenities within the subdivision, including the drainage system that would connect to the city’s drainage system. Instead, these run-off waters would go downstream, reaching the Pardo area, which would worsen the flooding,” Guardo said.
He added that the developer has not complied with the requirements it submitted to CPDO.
However, Guardo admitted that the subdivision, built in the 1990s, was not required to build a rainwater catchment facility.
To gather more information, Guardo filed a motion inviting to an executive session on September 25 the president of the Alta Vista HOA, the developer, DEPW, and OBO.
In response, the developer, through its Cebu branch management, told SunStar Cebu that it would answer all queries raised by the City Council in an appropriate forum.
“In reference to the legal and technical issues raised by Atty. Michal Gatchalian concerning the development of Alta Vista Subdivision before the Cebu City Legislative Council, we will provide our response thereto in an appropriate forum,” the developer said in a text message on Thursday.
Guardo also urged the executive department to create a TWG comprising representatives from DEPW, OBO, CPDO, and the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to conduct an ocular inspection prioritizing upland development to check if developers are compliant with the approved subdivision plans submitted to CPDO.
He added that the TWG will be tasked with verifying and confirming the compliance of various developers and subdivisions in the upland area with the “rainwater catchment facility” requirement. / EHP