When the waters overflow and rules are overboard

After two typhoons consecutively struck Cebu, my social media feed was flooded, not just with portraits of streets turned into streams, but with commentary.

- Criegtania Isabelle Calzita

Countless posts showed residents wading through brown, murky water, timelines filled with clips of cars submerged in the flood, and homes drenched in silt. Amid the online noise, netizens were quick to point fingers at Monterrazas de Cebu, scrutinizing the project and citing it as part of the problem. The online chatter was not arbitrary but a reflection of the growing concern about development in vulnerable areas and a reminder of how progress, when unchecked, has grave consequences.As I continued to scroll down further, I found myself asking: What happens when “progress” is allowed to clear not just landscapes but lives? Because when development expands without regard for environmental limits, the cost is often paid not in profit margins but in the safety of communities left at risk.