MANILA, Philippines – Nagsalita na ang Mont Property Group, developer ng upscale hillside residential development sa Cebu City, kaugnay sa kontrobersiyang bumabalot sa proyekto na itinuturong nagdulot umano ng matinding pagbaha sa Cebu sa pananalasa ng Bagyong Tino.
“Monterazzas de Cebu welcomes all impartial investigations by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). We are committed to [working] with the agency to ensure the highest standards of environmental integrity and community safety across Cebu’s hillside developments,” saad sa pahayag ng Mont Property Group.
Noong Nobyembre 7, inanunsyo ng DENR na naglunsad ito ng imbestigasyon sa environmental laws compliance ng Monterrazas de Cebu development.
Ngayong linggo, sinabi ng DENR na kabilang sa mga natukoy na paglabag ay ang 11 lamang umanong tree-cutting permit ang nakuha para sa proyekto sa mahigit 700 puno noong 2022.
Nilabag umano ng proyekto ang Section 77 of Presidential Decree 705 (Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines 1975) at Presidential Decree 1586, or the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System.
Sa pahayag, pinabulaanan ng Mont Property Group ang inilarawan nito bilang “premature pronouncements” ng DENR kaugnay sa umano’y tree-cutting activities.
“The claim that Monterazzas de Cebu cut down more than 700 trees is grievously false, and we are confident that any evidence that may be presented to assert this narrative can easily be disproven,” sinabi ng property developer.
Wala pang tugon ang DENR kaugnay nito.
“Pursuant to our approved Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) and Development Permit, only shrubs and secondary undergrowth were cleared to facilitate the necessary earthworks,” dagdag pa.
Ipinaliwanag ng kompanya na ang duly submitted Environmental Impact Statement (ES) sa Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-DENR Region VII “even reflected that the site was predominantly covered by grass, shrubs, and small plants, with minimal to no topsoil, and the area could not support agricultural activity and was characterized mainly by non-woody vegetation.”
Ang mountainside residential project, na idinisenyo ni celebrity engineer Slater Young, ay muling binatikos ng publiko matapos ang malawakang pagbaha na naranasan sa Cebu sa pananalasa ng Bagyong Tino. RNT/JGC
