The Cebu City Council's Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Councilor Edgardo "Jaypee" Labella, wants the Technical Infrastructure Committee to evaluate Mont Property Inc.'s flood-mitigation submissions for Monterrazas de Cebu.
Mont Property reported that its 24 operational detention ponds have a combined storage capacity of 62,710.5 cubic meters, which is more than twice the 26,701 cubic meters required under its approved drainage design.
Monterrazas was among only four of 65 developers in Cebu City's South District that submitted requested stormwater management plans by the August 21, 2026 deadline.
MONT Property Group Inc. says its Monterrazas de Cebu development has more than twice the floodwater detention capacity required under its approved drainage design. The developer has also been regularly updating the Cebu City Council on its flood-mitigation measures.
Monterrazas is among only four of 65 developers in Cebu City's South District that had submitted the stormwater management plans requested by the City Government as of the Aug. 21, 2026 deadline.
The council's review, however, is not a finding that Monterrazas' flood controls are inadequate. Rather, its Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Councilor Edgardo "Jaypee" Labella, wants the Technical Infrastructure Committee (TIC) to evaluate the developer's submissions against the approved plans and assess whether the reported facilities are functioning as designed.
The review comes amid broader concerns about stormwater runoff from upland development, highlighting the city's challenge of monitoring and verifying flood-mitigation measures across Cebu City's growing upland areas.
At the center of the latest review is Mont Property's June 2026 progress report on its continuing flood-mitigation efforts.
According to the developer's approved drainage design, the project's 14 catchment areas require a combined detention pond storage capacity of 26,701 cubic meters.
Detention ponds temporarily store stormwater and release it at a controlled rate, helping manage runoff before it reaches lower-lying areas and drainage channels.
Mont Property reported that six additional ponds had become operational, increasing the total from 18 to 24.
The 24 ponds reportedly have a combined storage capacity of 62,710.5 cubic meters, or about 2.35 times the 26,701 cubic meters required under the approved design.
The developer also reported that a post-rainfall inspection found all 24 ponds functioning as intended, with no significant slope erosion or sediment overflow.
These figures and observations are part of the developer's regular progress reports submitted to the city.
Monterrazas' reporting is notable because, according to information presented to the City Council, it is the only developer among those being monitored that has been regularly submitting progress updates on its flood-mitigation measures to the council.
That is separate from the city's compliance audit. The Office of the Mayor earlier sent letters to 65 developers in Cebu City's South District directing them to submit their respective stormwater management plans. As of the Aug. 21 deadline, only four developers had complied, including Monterrazas.
The submissions give city technical personnel information they can compare with approved plans and subject to further technical evaluation.
The 65-developer count also places the Monterrazas review in a broader context. The city is not dealing with a single upland development, but with a wider challenge of ensuring that stormwater-management measures are properly planned, documented and monitored.
If Monterrazas is reporting more than twice the required detention capacity, why does the council still want a technical assessment?
Because storage capacity and demonstrated flood-control performance are not necessarily the same thing.
The reported 62,710.5 cubic meters indicates the combined storage capacity reported for the 24 ponds. It does not, by itself, establish how the entire drainage system performs during actual rainfall events.
A detention system's effectiveness also depends on how water moves into and out of the ponds, the condition of the facilities, sediment accumulation, maintenance and the capacity of downstream drainage infrastructure.
Labella's committee has been reviewing the developer's periodic submissions as part of its continuing oversight of the development.
The committee recommended that the submissions be evaluated by the TIC, a technical body composed of city engineers and other technical personnel.
The council had previously directed the TIC to prepare an assessment and recommendation regarding the development. That evaluation remains pending.
The latest action therefore places the developer's reports within a technical review rather than treating them as either conclusive proof of compliance or evidence of noncompliance.
The review is not simply about counting ponds. It is about determining whether the flood-mitigation system conforms to its approved design and performs as intended.
Among the questions the technical assessment can help answer are:
whether the 24 detention ponds and their reported capacities conform to the approved drainage design;
whether the reported storage capacity can be verified;
whether the ponds, drainage connections and outlet structures are functioning as designed;
whether sediment and silt-control measures are adequate; and
whether the flood-mitigation system will remain adequate as development within the 118.4-hectare property progresses.
Even if the ponds have sufficient storage, their effectiveness also depends on how runoff is discharged and how much additional flow downstream drainage channels can accommodate.
The City Council has approved the Infrastructure Committee's recommendations, directing that Mont Property's recent submissions be incorporated into the TIC's pending technical assessment. Copies of the directive were sent to the TIC, the Office of the Mayor and the Department of Engineering and Public Works.
The council's action is not a finding that Monterrazas' flood-control measures are inadequate. The developer has reported that its detention capacity exceeds the requirement under its approved drainage design and has continued to provide the council with progress updates.
The pending TIC assessment will determine whether those reported measures conform to the approved design and perform as intended.
For Cebu City, however, the issue extends beyond Monterrazas. With 65 developers identified in the South District and only four having submitted the requested stormwater plans by the deadline, the broader challenge is establishing consistent, technically sound oversight of flood mitigation across the city's growing upland developments./CAV