Slater Young. Images: Image: YouTube/Slater Young, Instagram/@thatguyslater
Civil engineer and content creator Slater Young is standing by a controversial real estate project in Cebu City that his company is developing amid the backlash that he received online due to the project’s supposed untenability.
Young addressed his followers weeks after he first bared his company’s ambitious project, but which was met with disapproval by certain groups who worry about its effect on the environment.
In his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Young said the villas had been in the works for a “long, long time,” while their team underwent “300 revisions” to make sure it was built in the “best practice possible.”
“I spent the last few days going over your comments about ‘The Rise at Monterrazas.’ We’ve been working on this project for a long, long time. Our team is composed of dedicated architects, a lot of engineers, and sustainability experts,” he said.
The property developer behind upscale “The Rise at Monterrazas” is Monterazzas Prime, put up by Young and his team of associates to cater to the growing demand for starter homes in Cebu City. The villas at Monterrazas sit at the foot of a mountain, and whose appearance is comparable to that of the Banaue Rice Terraces, with a fantastic view of the sprawling city below.
But some netizens slammed the project, saying it would destroy the environment. Some anchored their concern at the fact that Cebu has been greatly devastated during Typhoon Odette in which Young and his family had been among those affected.
Young claimed at the time that his company tried to “(work) with the terrain” in an apparent bid to lessen the impact on the environment.
On Tuesday, Young insisted that while the response to the Monterazzas has been “overwhelming,” their team continues to “engage with expert groups and environmental advocates” with the “goal to listen.”
“When we finally posted ‘The Rise at Monterrazas,’ the response was honestly overwhelming. I appreciate everyone who took time to comment, narinig namin lahat ng concerns niyo (we heard your concerns) and we continue to engage with expert groups and environmental advocates to look over our plans,” he said.
“The goal here is to listen, we’ll post updates as we go and to serve full transparency with this project. We share all your concerns and we will continue to listen,” he added.
ECC issued
A press release from his company claimed that one of the sustainability features of the property is a drip irrigation system for “collecting all the rainwater to a tank down below, and then we have an irrigation system to benefit the surrounding gardens promoting sustainability.”
Young said the project already obtained from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), which is required for any projects that has the potential to cause significant environmental impacts.
He also gave assurance that his team will continue to update the public on the project. “I shall continue to update as we go along because the people deserves full transparency; and we do share the same concerns for the environment and we will continue to listen.” EDV