DENR halts Cebu project over height violation

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced Monday that its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) has suspended the Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) of Fifth Avenue Property Development Corporation for “The Stria Santa Fe Project” in Poblacion, Santa Fe, Cebu.

The move, effective 15 August, comes after the company was found violating rules under Presidential Decree 1586 and its implementing regulations.

The project, approved by the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), was only allowed to construct a building up to 10 meters high —roughly three floors — to preserve the area’s landscape profile. But DENR and EMB monitoring revealed the building has already reached four floors, exceeding the approved height.

Earlier, the EMB had ordered Fifth Avenue Property Development Corp. to pay a P270,000 fine for the violation.

The DENR Region 7, through CENRO Cebu City, also issued three Notices of Violation on 31 July, 17 September and 18 December 2024. When the company failed to respond, CENRO Cebu City ordered a full stop to construction on 14 May.

Because the fine remained unpaid, EMB Region 7 suspended the project’s Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC-OL-R07-2022-0310 dated 18 October 2022, as amended by ECC-OL-R07-2022-0417 dated 15 December 2022).

“Any development that goes beyond the allowable limits not only breaches regulatory requirements but also risks causing damage to the environment,” said DENR Central Visayas regional executive director Paquito Melicor Jr.

The DENR assures the public that it will continue to enforce environmental laws and make sure all development projects comply with guidelines to protect Cebu’s natural resources.