RESIDENTS and workers of The Stria project in Sante Fe have appealed to Mayor Ithamar Espinosa and Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro to not stop the development through a signature campaign.
There were 21 copies of the statement, which were signed by residents and workers from the sub-contractors of The Stria, including Trass Construction, J&J Technology Solutions, JFAP Construction, D.A Abcede and Associates, Michel Pacaldo Plumbing Services, and CebuTech Trading Services.
The statement earned around 250 signatures.
The statements of the sub-contractors are the same, appealing to the two officials, Espinosa and Baricuatro, to “please not stop our work on The Stria project due to government orders.”
“Our jobs are the only thing we rely on to put food on the table, send our children to school, and support our families. If this work is halted, our families — who depend on our modest income — will suffer. This is not just a job to us — it is our livelihood, our hope, and our future,” a portion of the statement reads.
For the part of the residents, there were two pages of their appeal, which also called to continue the work in The Stria. It has 16 signatories.
“We are able to earn income from offering our services to the workers of The Stria. Not only this, we believe that the completion of The Stria will improve our local economy and allow us and members of the family to earn livelihood and income from the business that will be generated by The Stria,” their statement reads.
The copies of the statement were sent to the media on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025.
The signature campaign and appeal came following the order of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) suspending the environmental compliance certificate and
halting its operations on Aug. 18. Baricuatro ordered the same on the same day.
Both the DENR and Baricuatro ordered the work stoppage on the high-rise condominium, citing breaches of height limits and coastal protections.
The management of The Stria had earlier appealed to the Environmental Management Bureau 7 to immediately lift its suspension and recall any cease-and-desist orders against the project.
According to The Stria, in a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 26, this action would allow for the continuation of a project that, according to the management, “aligns with the sustainable progress of Santa Fe”. / CDF