Cebu City began inspecting developments on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, to assess whether properties like Monterrazas de Cebu contribute to flooding in downstream communities.
Monterrazas de Cebu's 24 operational detention ponds have a combined storage capacity of 62,710.5 cubic meters, exceeding the 26,701 cubic meters required under its approved design.
As of Aug. 27, 11 out of 65 developers or developments contacted by the City had responded to requests for information on their drainage and flood-mitigation systems.
CEBU City has begun inspecting developments that responded to the City’s request for drainage and flood-mitigation plans, as officials assess whether properties may be contributing to flooding in downstream communities.
Among those inspected was Monterrazas de Cebu, where Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival’s chief of staff, Kenneth Siasar, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, traced the movement of water from the development’s detention ponds toward lower-lying areas.
Siasar said the detention ponds at Monterrazas are arranged in a terraced system, allowing water to move from one pond to another as each fills up instead of flowing directly downhill.
Capacity expanded
The developer’s flood-control system currently has 24 completed and operational detention ponds, up from 18 after six additional ponds were constructed.
The ponds have a combined storage capacity of 62,710.5 cubic meters, more than twice the 26,701 cubic meters required under the approved drainage and flood-mitigation design for the 118.4-hectare development.
During the inspection, Siasar followed the flow of water from the upper detention ponds and observed how it moved through the succeeding ponds.
He said the arrangement allows runoff to be released gradually toward lower areas, reducing the potential for a sudden surge of water.
Siasar also noted that undeveloped portions of the property allow some rainwater to infiltrate the ground instead of immediately becoming surface runoff.
The water eventually connects to the Grand Legacy subdivision, where Siasar observed a drainage connection about 0.9 meter in diameter carrying water from the upper portion of the area.
Siasar, based on the inspection, suggested that some parking areas could be made permeable to allow rainwater to infiltrate the ground and reduce surface runoff.
He clarified that although Monterrazas covers about 118 hectares, only a portion of the property has been developed.
Broader review
The Monterrazas inspection is part of the City’s broader review of developments identified as potentially affecting flooding in downstream communities.
As of Aug. 27, 11 of the 65 developers or developments contacted by the City had responded to letters requesting information on their drainage systems and flood-mitigation measures.
The City’s records distinguish between the date a letter was sent to a developer or development and the date its response was received.
The records include entries for several subdivisions and residential areas across Tisa and Guadalupe.
Homeowners step in
The City had sent letters to 65 developers or developments as part of the flood investigation, meaning 54 had yet to submit responses as of Aug. 27.
Siasar said some of the developments are no longer being managed by their original developers and are now under their respective homeowners associations.
Because of this, some of the City’s letters addressed to developers were instead received by homeowners associations.
Representatives of some homeowners associations went to City Hall on Aug. 27 to personally submit their responses and explain the current management arrangements of their subdivisions.
Siasar cited Sacred Heart subdivision as one of the areas that has experienced flooding.
Residents also explained that their drainage system had changed over the years and was originally designed mainly to serve households within the subdivision.
According to Siasar, however, development in higher areas has changed the volume and direction of water entering lower-lying subdivisions.
He clarified that flooding in the subdivision was not necessarily caused by water originating within the development itself, but could also be influenced by runoff entering the area from outside.
Siasar said Sacred Heart also explained why it does not have a detention pond.
The subdivision was established around 1977 or 1978, when detention ponds were not yet a requirement for developments.
He said subdivisions established during that period generally had drainage systems designed to serve their residents, without provisions to manage additional runoff from areas subsequently developed uphill.