Metro Manila, Philippines – The government has filed a criminal complaint against the developers of the controversial Monterrazas de Cebu hillside project over forestry law violations, an offense that locals have blamed as the reason for deadly floods in Cebu City in recent months.

“For the Monterazzas case, we have already filed a criminal case on Dec. 3, 2025, for violation of Section 77 of the Presidential Decree 705 or the Revised Forestry Code against the corporation,” Environment Assistant Secretary Norlito Eneran told reporters on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) earlier said that its investigation found more than 700 trees cut down within the 140-hectare property in Guadalupe, Cebu City, a claim that the developer Mont Property Group denied.

Mont Property Group has yet to release a comment on the complaint.

Environment Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna the agency has the evidence and satellite imagery in filing the complaint.

“A [tree] inventory was conducted in 2022. It identified 745 trees and when we checked recently there were only 11 trees left,” Cuna said.

“Before this case was filed, we have studied whatever we have at the regional level,” he said.

Eneran said an administrative complaint has been filed for violations to the environmental compliance certificate.

In an interview with state media Radyo Pilipinas, the DENR Central Visayas reported that 10 out of the 33 conditions in the amended ECC were violated. The Environmental Management Bureau also issued a notice of violation and a stoppage order against the Monterrazas developers.

The Monterrazas de Cebu project, linked to celebrity engineer Slater Young, was hit with controversy this year after many areas in Cebu were submerged in flood waters during the onslaught of Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) in early November.

The typhoon killed over 200 people, mostly residents in Cebu.