The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has officially filed a criminal case against the company behind the Monterrazas residential project, citing alleged violations of forestry and environmental laws.

At a press briefing Wednesday, DENR Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs and Enforcement Atty. Norlito Eneran explained that the charges stem from unlawful possession of implements and devices normally used by forest officers.

“For the Monterrazas case, we already filed a criminal case on December 3, 2025, for violation of Section 77 of Presidential Decree No. 705, or the Revised Forestry Code, against the corporation,” Eneran said. He added that the penalties for the violations include two to four years in prison, fines ranging from P1,000 to P10,000, confiscation of the items, and automatic cancellation of permits or licenses.

The DENR first flagged multiple violations in November tied to the high-end mountainside project and its retention pond. Among the concerns: of the more than 700 trees on the property in 2022, only 11 remained after a tree-cutting permit was issued. Monterrazas allegedly also failed to secure a discharge permit under the Philippine Clean Water Act and violated ten out of 33 conditions in its Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs).

The Mont Property Group, which owns Monterrazas, denied the allegations, saying that reports claiming they cut down over 700 trees are “grievously false.” The company said that only shrubs and secondary undergrowth were cleared for necessary earthworks, adding that the site consisted mainly of grass, shrubs, and small plants with minimal topsoil and could not support agricultural activity.

The project, designed by celebrity engineer Slater Young, has also faced public criticism, with some claiming it worsened flooding in Cebu City during Typhoon Tino. Mont Property Group clarified that the areas severely affected by floods are in entirely different drainage basins. “Monterrazas de Cebu is located in Barangay Guadalupe, several kilometers away from the heavily flood-stricken areas in Liloan, Mandaue, and Talisay,” the company said. They stressed that while localized flooding occurred in their immediate vicinity, it is geographically separate from the worst-hit areas.

As the case moves forward, the DENR emphasized that enforcement of environmental and forestry laws is non-negotiable, while the developer continues to assert that its operations complied with permits and environmental guidelines.