Slater Young claps back vs ‘misinformation’ amid Monterrazas controversy
Slater Young claimed that he, his family, and The Rise at Monterrazas — a Cebu-based hillside project he co-founded — were victims of misinformation, amid the backlash he faced due to the deadly flooding in Cebu caused by Typhoon Tino in November 2025.
In a belated statement posted on Instagram on Sunday, April 19, Young claimed that he and his family faced a “great deal of criticism,” but they “chose to stay quiet” as investigations pushed forward.
“That tragedy was real, and it deserves real answers, not speculation, not misinformation. When the accusations were made against the Monterrazas project, our first instinct was to respond immediately,” he said.
“But we held back because we believed that the right thing to do was to let the proper investigations run its course, to let the science and evidence speak rather than to add to all the noise and confusion,” he continued.
The Rise at Monterrazas, unveiled to the public by Young in 2023, is a hillside real estate project situated on the slopes of Barangay Guadalupe. Two years later, the area was among the most affected by Typhoon Tino, prompting netizens to express their anger toward the celebrity engineer and those involved in the project, citing possible involvement.
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The “Pinoy Big Brother” alum stated that while he and his family “endured a great deal of criticism,” it was nothing compared to the anguish that the affected families had during the Typhoon.
However, he stressed that a study by the University of the Philippines (UP) found that his hillside development project didn’t cause the flooding, and that the flooding was instead due to “months’ worth of rainfall” dumped on the area.
“Now that [the] truth has come out. An independent study conducted by the University of the Philippines, these were done by scientists with no connection to the project, no stake in the project, they found that Monterrazas did not cause or worsen the flooding,” he said.
“What caused it was the sheer volume of rain. Typhoon Tino dumped over a month’s worth of rainfall on Cebu in one single day. And that amount of water would have flooded those areas regardless of what was or was not built,” he further added.
He did not specify which study he was referring to and whether this was presented as part of the DENR’s investigation into the matter.
Slater responds through ‘science’
Young further claimed that the Monterrazas “doubled its required standards for water management,” and that it held back “up to 99.74%” of excess rainwater during the onslaught of the typhoon.
“The science does not just say we did not cause the flooding, it says that the systems we have built in place helped produce it. This is not our conclusion, it is theirs. And this study is public and anyone who wishes to go through it is free to do so,” he said, still not revealing the name of the study or who in particular conducted it.
“Several independent investigative bodies reviewed the same evidence and they have reached the same conclusion. So we hope that all discussions moving forward are guided by this verified truth,” he continued.
As a result, Young said that while he acknowledges that everyone has their own opinion, he won’t stay silent about alleged misinformation. “We understand that for some, no study or finding will ever be enough. Grief does not follow a timeline and we respect that. But what we are here to say is this. Cebu deserves real solutions.”
“Real solutions can only come from correctly identifying the real cause,” he continued. That is work that is ongoing, and Monterrazas is committed to being a part of it. I am committed to becoming a part of it.
Despite his lengthy statement, the “PBB” alum still received backlash in the comments, with many urging him to “take accountability,” while others urged him to share the study. Others, however, sided with him and felt bad for him for taking the blame, among them actor Eric Tai.
As of this writing, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival has not issued a statement amid calls to shut down Monterrazas, after the city council said it won’t push for a cease-and-desist order against the project. /edv
