APRIL 9, 2026 — The Cebu City Council has just lifted the cease-and-desist order slapped on the Monterrazas de Cebu project in Barangay Guadalupe, a development once vilified as the culprit behind the devastating floods during Typhoon Tino in November 2025. The council’s resolution, approved this week, declares that the upscale hillside project was not the direct cause of the flooding.

Instead, the resolution points to a cocktail of problems: outdated drainage systems, tributary inflows, and the ever-familiar issue of garbage clogging pipes. In their words, flooding “cannot be solely attributed to any single development in the area.”

A joint inspection by the Natural Resources Office and the Office of the Building Official in January found that earth-moving activities at the site were actually designed to manage surface runoff, with approval from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The Environmental Management Bureau even noted that the project has 22 detention ponds capable of holding 62,468 cubic meters of water — measures meant to slow down floodwaters rather than unleash them.

Councilors, however, were quick to remind the public that Mont Property Group isn’t off the hook. The developer must still comply with city ordinances, secure a Special Hauling Permit, and submit hydrological studies to guide future flood mitigation. The city also ordered all concerned offices to partner with the developer for long-term drainage solutions.

So while the project gets a reprieve, the spotlight now shifts to the city itself. For years, residents have endured floods worsened by weak drainage infrastructure and poor waste management. Typhoon Tino merely exposed what many Cebuanos already knew — that the city’s flood defenses are outdated and insufficient.

Will this ruling spark real accountability and investment in Cebu’s drainage system, or will it simply let developers and officials pass the blame back and forth while residents wade through the consequences?

(Image: Monterrazas de Cebu | Facebook)