CEBU CITY — The noise around the controversial upland development project Monterrazas de Cebu has persisted, but Mayor Nestor Archival said the issue has already moved beyond Cebu City Hall and into the hands of national authorities.
Archival rejected claims that he had been silent or inactive on the controversial upland development project Monterrazas de Cebu, stressing that the city government had already acted and that further public statements would only politicize a matter that is now under national investigation.
The mayor pointed out that the Monterrazas project was approved before he assumed office and said the city has already responded when environmental concerns surfaced.
The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Ccenro), in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), conducted an investigation and submitted its findings to the national government.
Archival said the DENR has already made a formal pronouncement and filed cases against the developer, leaving little room for additional legal action by the city government.
“There is already a case at the national level. That’s it,” Archival said.
The mayor said repeated assertions that he is deliberately keeping quiet misrepresent the situation and unfairly portray the city government as inactive, adding that calls for further intervention would only confuse the public, given the existence of pending cases.
His remarks followed renewed criticism from Councilor Jun Alcover, who raised concerns over what he described as the mayor’s silence on the Monterrazas issue.
Archival said the city had already completed its investigation and elevated the matter to the appropriate national agencies.
The DENR earlier filed a criminal complaint on Dec. 3, 2025, against the Monterrazas developer for alleged violation of Section 77 of Presidential Decree 705, or the Revised Forestry Code.
The complaint stemmed from a 2022 tree inventory that recorded 745 trees in the project area, with a more recent inspection finding only 11 remaining.
Authorities cited satellite imagery and field verification to counter claims that only shrubs and secondary growth were cleared for the construction of the project.
The DENR also filed an administrative complaint against the developer for failure to comply with 10 of the 33 conditions under the project’s Environmental Compliance Certificate.
The Environmental Management Bureau likewise flagged violations of the Clean Water Act and the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System and issued a notice of violation and a stoppage order.
Investigators further found that detention ponds meant to control storm water runoff were damaged or silted, contributing to flooding in downstream communities during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino in November 2025.
The controversy has intensified calls within the Cebu City Council for stricter regulation to upland developments.
Councilor Joel Garganera, chairman of the committee on environment, has proposed a moratorium on new upland projects, citing erosion of watersheds, slope cutting and worsening floods in lowland barangay.
Archival has expressed support for suspending new upland applications while existing projects undergo review, saying community safety must take precedence over development.
