THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered Monterrazas de Cebu to stop operations following the discovery of several environmental violations.
During the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on flood control anomalies Friday, November 14, 2025, DENR Central Visayas Executive Director Laudemir Salac said over 700 trees were cut down without proper permission for the Monterrazas project.
He said criminal charges for violation of Section 77 of Presidential Decree 705 will be filed against the officials of the developer for the unpermitted cutting of trees.
“Sa 734 na puno na pinutol, sa batas kailangan silang mag-replace ng 100 puno sa kada isang native tree na pinutol, so more or less that is 73,400 trees. Kami sa DENR, hindi kami papayag na seedling ang kanilang ipalit, dapat puno sa puno,” said Salac.
(Of the 734 trees that were cut, by law they are required to replace 100 trees for each native tree that was cut, so more or less that is 73,400 trees. We at the DENR will not allow them to replace them with seedlings. It must be tree for tree.)
“So 73,000 kapalit nung 700, kailangan po nilang itanim yan sa lahat ng open areas ng kanilang project, 140 hectares po yon. Malaki, kailangan itanim nila yon. Kung sobra 'yon, pipili kami ng mga katabing kabundukan malapit doon para doon itanim. Sa kanila po ang gastos,” he added.
(So 73,000 to replace the 700, they are required to plant these in all the open areas of their project, which is 140 hectares. It’s a large area, and they need to plant all of it. If there is excess, we will select nearby mountain areas for them to plant it. The cost will be theirs.)
Salac said out of the 33 conditions under the developer’s environmental compliance certificate (ECC), 10 were violated.
He said this includes the collapse of two retention ponds constructed under the ECC, which could have contributed to flooding in nearby barangays during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.
“Stop po ngayon ang operations ng Monterrazas de Cebu. Meron na pong notice of violations at stoppage order. I can assure you po as of Wednesday (November 12), hindi na sila mag-o-operate unless i-repair po yung nasirang detention pond,” said Salac.
(Operations of Monterrazas de Cebu have been stopped. A notice of violations and a stoppage order have already been issued. I can assure you that as of Wednesday, November 12, they will no longer operate unless the damaged detention pond is repaired.)
Salac said the 140-hectare project includes 118 consolidated titles.
He noted Presidential Decree 1998, signed in 1985, which categorizes lands in Cebu and Benguet with slopes of more than 18 percent as alienable and disposable.
However, Salac said considering the distance, the Monterrazas project could not be directly linked to the massive flooding in various parts of the province caused by Tino.
As of 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Monterrazas de Cebu has yet to release a statement on the matter.
Homicidal negligence?
Senator Risa Hontiveros said contractors, along with concerned government officials, should be held liable for the deaths of over 230 individuals as Cebu province was battered by Tino.
“Ang ikinamatay ba ng mga kababayan natin sa Cebu ay negligence? Incompetence ba? Outright corruption din ba? Base sa ongoing investigation niyo, ano ang mga temang lumalabas?” she said.
(Was the death of our fellow Cebuanos due to negligence? Incompetence? Or outright corruption as well? Based on your ongoing investigation, what themes are emerging?)
“It appears po it’s a combination of all of those factors, Your Honor. Sa mga naging testimonies na rin po dito sa Blue Ribbon Committee, nasabi na rin po na dahil may mga commitments, advance, doon pa lang makikita natin wala po proyekto na talagang napondohan ng tama kasi lahat po nabawasan na,” DPWH Undersecretary Arthur Bisnar responded.
(It appears, Your Honor, that it’s a combination of all those factors. From the testimonies presented before the Blue Ribbon Committee, it was also mentioned that because of commitments and advances, we can already see that no project was ever fully funded, as everything had already been reduced.)
“I would venture even further na sang-ayon kaya ang department na at least i-consider na ang nangyari ay homicidal negligence, at dahil doon, dapat talagang bigyang danyos ang mga kababayan nating nawalan ng buhay, ng mahal sa buhay, dahil sa kapalpakang ng mga contractors,” Hontiveros added, to which the DPWH secretary answered in the affirmative.
(I would even venture to suggest that the department might agree to at least consider that what happened was homicidal negligence, and because of that, our fellow citizens who lost their lives and loved ones due to the contractors’ negligence should truly be compensated.) TPM/SunStar Philippines)