A Cebu City developer says it now has more than enough water catchment capacity to handle storm runoff — but the city's vice mayor still wants the project shut down.

Mont Property Group Inc., the developer behind the Monterrazas de Cebu project, told the Cebu City Council in a June 15 letter that it has completed work on all detention ponds. The company said the ponds now hold 62,710.5 cubic meters of water — more than twice the 26,701 cubic meters required by regulators.

That's a big number. But Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña isn't impressed. He has been pushing Mayor Nestor Archival to issue a cease-and-desist order against the project. He argues that the ponds aren't big enough to prevent flooding in downstream communities like Barangay Guadalupe.

"The detention ponds are obviously not big enough. There should be a cease and desist because you are putting people at risk," Osmeña said in an earlier press conference.

Mont Property Group says otherwise. According to the company, the project covers about 118.4 hectares divided into 14 catchment areas. The 24 ponds now serve those areas, with the largest capacities in Catchment Areas 1 and 6, which together hold nearly 48,000 cubic meters.

The developer said it originally had 18 completed ponds. After commitments made during a November 2025 meeting with the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Region VII, and in compliance with a City Council resolution from March 2026, it added six more.

"Pursuant to the commitments made during the meeting with the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Region VII on 13 November 2025, and in compliance with Resolution No. 17-3083-2026 dated 24 March 2026, the Mont undertook the required detention pond rehabilitation and flood mitigation measures and subsequently constructed an additional six (6) detention ponds," the company said.

Mont also told the council that all rehabilitation work and flood mitigation measures were completed by Jan. 30, 2026. It said it has been submitting monitoring reports to EMB-7 and furnishing copies to the City Council and Barangay Guadalupe.

The latest report, submitted on June 8, covered rainfall on June 3. Inspections the next day found all 24 ponds in good condition, with water levels ranging from dry to low or non-critical. No significant erosion or sediment transport was observed, according to the company.

"All detention ponds were found to be in good condition, with water levels ranging from dry to low or non-critical levels, and with no significant erosion or sediment transport observed," the report stated.

The findings, Mont said, confirmed that the detention pond system functioned as designed during that rainfall event.

But the debate at City Hall is far from over. Osmeña has warned that the city could face another disaster if authorities don't act. He argues that roads and other impervious surfaces at the development accelerate stormwater runoff, increasing flood risks for residents below.

The City Council's majority bloc has so far declined to endorse an immediate shutdown. They cite technical findings from regulatory agencies and previous assessments that attributed flooding to multiple factors — including drainage deficiencies, tributary inflows, urbanization, and clogged waterways.

Mayor Archival has also rejected calls for a cease-and-desist order, saying available reports show the developer has completed the required catchments and complied with environmental requirements.

Mont said it remains committed to continuing monitoring and maintenance to ensure the ponds work properly.

For now, the developer's numbers are on the table. The question is whether they're enough to convince Osmeña and the residents of Guadalupe that the project won't leave their homes underwater.