Civil engineer and content creator Slater Young has been facing mounting controversy over the long weekend for his new real estate project The Rise at Monterrazas (aka Skypod 3.0) in Cebu, due to plans of it being built on a mountainside with a troubled environmental history.
The former Pinoy Big Brother housemate has set off a wave of social media debates, with critics pointing out the irony of promoting a green architecture agenda while potentially causing environmental degradation in Cebu. Slater and his team, however, have an entirely different vision for the project, one that they believe aligns with innovation and sustainability.
"We wanted it to be architecturally forward, something that Cebu or the Philippines has never seen before... Because we’re building on the mountainside, we want the project to be as sustainable as possible," Slater said in his August 24 vlog.
"We pushed everything towards the mountain and just worked with the terrain. Each and every space was pushed towards the back. With that, we were able to create this free-flowing design."
What is The Rise at Monterrazas by Slater Young?
The Rise at Monterrazas is designed to be a luxury residential condominium inspired by the Banaue Rice Terraces. According to Slater, he and his team have gone through around 300 different versions of the project, aiming to work with the natural terrain of the mountain to minimize the environmental impact.
Slater takes pride in the property's eco-friendly features like its rainwater collection systems, solar-powered amenity areas, and electric car charging stations.
“We actually designed The Rise to have an irrigation system similar to those in mango farms," Slater explained.
"This entire building will be collecting all the rainwater to a tank down below, and then it will have a drip irrigation system that makes the entire strip of garden in front of you virtually maintenance-free."
Why is The Rise at Monterrazas so controversial?
The project is slated to be erected near Monterrazas de Cebu, a site that has been the subject of cease and desist orders due to its potential to cause natural catastrophes like soil deterioration, landslides, and flooding.
The site is also located a few kilometers away from Guadalupe, the most populous barangay in Cebu City—which Slater acknowledged in his video. This concern is heightened by the fact that Cebu was severely devastated by Typhoon Odette in December 2021.
Skeptics have said that merely incorporating trees into the design does not make it "green architecture." Slater also admitted that the replanted greenery won't be fully grown once the project is done, but it is expected improve over the next two to three years.
Here's what the Internet has to say:
Some users have also criticized the project for appropriating the cultural and environmental significance of the Banaue Rice Terraces, which were carved by ancestors for survival and sustainable living—the values that the project supposedly undermines.
This is the second time the content creator was met with controversy in a little over three months. Last May, he faced backlash for claiming it is "very, very normal" for men in committed relationships to fantasize about women in group chats with friends. He apologized for his statement a week later.
Watch the full video here:
* This story originally appeared on Spot.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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