THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered a large hillside development in Cebu City to halt all operations, citing extensive environmental violations.
The DENR cited Monterrazas de Cebu for illegally cutting hundreds of trees and failing to maintain flood control measures. The violations were so severe that a city councilor said the DENR’s finding that only 11 trees remain out of more than 700 indicates clear violations.
Councilor Joel Garganera added that once the official report is released, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office and the City Legal Office will recommend legal and administrative action.
How did a major development allegedly violate so many environmental laws, and what are the consequences for the developer and the city?
Specific violations
During a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on flood control Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, DENR 7 Executive Director Laudemir Salac said the developer cut more than 700 trees without permits. He called this a “clear breach of forestry and environmental laws.”
Salac said Monterrazas de Cebu also violated 10 of its 33 conditions under its environmental compliance certificate, or ECC. These violations included the collapse of two stormwater detention ponds.
A separate joint inspection on Nov. 6 and 7 found major discrepancies in the project’s 2022 tree inventory. DENR 7 Assistant Director Eddie Llamedo said that of the 745 trees previously listed, only 11 remain.
Inspectors also noted violations of the Clean Water Act and the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System, citing that several of the project’s 17 stormwater ponds were damaged or heavily silted.
Consequences
The DENR has issued a notice of violations and a stoppage order. “They cannot operate unless repairs are made,” Salac said.
Criminal charges under Section 77 of Presidential Decree 705 will be filed against the officials responsible for the tree cutting.
The developer must also replace each of the 734 trees cut with 100 mature native trees, totaling 73,400 trees. The agency will not accept seedlings.
“Tree for tree,” Salac said.
The developer must shoulder all replanting costs. Each ECC violation also carries a P50,000 administrative fine and other penalties may follow.
Questions of oversight
During the hearing, Sen. Risa Hontiveros asked DENR-Environmental Management Bureau 7 Director Ma. Victoria Abrera who “turned a blind eye” to the project’s ECC approval.
Abrera said the ECC underwent a full review, public hearings and independent evaluation. Hontiveros said the agency must determine where oversight failed.
The DENR is now reviewing other hillside developments for similar violations.
The City’s position
The Cebu City Government is waiting for the DENR’s official findings before taking action.
Councilor Joel Garganera, chair of the committee on environment, noted that the City Council approved only one tree-cutting application for 108 trees in the area in 2023. That permit required 41 trees to be cut, nine to be earth-balled and 58 to be preserved.
City ordinances require developers to preserve trees, pay for earth-balling and donate 100 saplings for every tree removed.
A history of incidents
This is not the first time Monterrazas de Cebu has faced environmental issues.
The developer received stop orders in 2008 and 2011 after mudslides and flooding affected nearby lowland areas. Concerns resurfaced after typhoon Odette in 2021 and again after typhoon Tino, as residents blame the project for worsening runoff and erosion.
As of Friday, Monterrazas de Cebu had not issued a public statement. / TPM, CDF, CAV, PNA