Chocolate Hills resort halts operations

SAGBAYAN, Bohol , Philippines —  The Captain’s Peak Resort that lies within the world famous Chocolate Hills area temporarily shut down its operations yesterday, resort manager Julieta Sablas said.

Sablas, younger sister of resort owner Capt. Edgar Button, said the resort started closing shop “upon the order of the mayor” as she admitted that the resort still has no environmental compliance certificate or ECC.

While noting that “it is very difficult to comply” with the requirements needed for an ECC, she said the resort has already complied with 75 percent of the requirements.

“We would not give up until we find a remedy to the situation,” Sablas said as she noted that the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) for the Chocolate Hills had given them the go-signal to proceed and operate the resort.

Aside from the PAMB, she added, “Sagbayan officials” also issued the permit to operate prior to its opening in 2019.

She cited Resolution 01 series of 2018, issued by the local PAMB, which stated, among other conditions, that the “hills should not be altered nor defaced and extraction is strictly prohibited.”

“We were not able to secure an ECC but we have permits from the local government unit, Protected Area Management Bureau and 15 of the 26 barangay captains of Sagbayan,” Sablas said.

Bohol Rep. Kristine Alexie Tutor said the resort should be shut down for good, but that this should follow due process.

“I am against any decision or action that goes against the status of the Chocolate Hills as a UNESCO Geopark. The Chocolate Hills is also protected by a presidential proclamation,” Tutor said.

“That Captain’s Peak Resort should not have been allowed to be built there in the first place. It should be demolished and the construction site should be restored, with costs borne by the owners of that resort. But before these can happen, we have to follow due process,” she added.

Tagbilaran Bishop Alberto Uy, in a Facebook post, called on the Boholanos to cherish and preserve the unique gifts in their province as he expressed happiness over the growing number of people who are taking more responsibility in caring for the environment.

“This emerging awareness (on environmental protection) is crucial in our collective journey towards a sustainable future. It is imperative that we elevate our consciousness regarding the state of our environment and the challenges it faces… By nurturing a deep sense of stewardship for our surroundings, we can contribute positively to the preservation of our ecosystem for generations to come,” Uy said.

DILG, House order probe

Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, who was in Negros Occidental yesterday, ordered the Sagbayan town officials to explain why they allowed the construction of a resort inside the Chocolate Hills area.

“We will look into the accountability of the local government units concerned. Should there be neglect of duty or any other irregularity on the part of the officials tasked with protecting and overseeing the area, we will not hesitate to pursue appropriate legal actions,” Abalos said in a statement.

The Chocolate Hills was declared a protected area on July 1, 1997 through Proclamation 1037 issued by former president Fidel Ramos.

The proclamation designated Chocolate Hills as a National Geological Monument and a Protected Landscape in view of its unique geological formations and the importance of maintaining the natural wonder for future generations.

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda lamented the non-enforcement of environmental laws resulting in the construction of the resort.

“For such an important heritage site, several layers of government bureaucracy were unable to act or sound an alarm about this defilement,” Legarda said.

At the House of Representatives, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo revealed that the House would conduct an inquiry on the controversy, adding that the resort has become an eyesore on the natural formation of hills.

“Regardless of what the resort manager says – that they didn’t build structures on top of the hills – the mere fact or the mere presence of this resort located in the middle of two hills has simply ruined the beautiful view,” Tulfo told reporters in a briefing.

UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines secretary-general Ivan Anthony Henares also yesterday joined calls to investigate all the resorts built within the area.

‘PAMB authorized  construction’

Bohol 2nd district Board Member Jamie Villamor said the PAMB in the area authorized the construction of the resort, adding that more applications are pending before this governing body for the development of resorts at Chocolate Hills.

“The PAMB is the recommendatory board. They should have taken into consideration these things. The DENR allowed it,” Villamor said, referring to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which supervises the PAMB.

She added that the DENR confirmed all the other pending applications for the construction of establishments within the protected area.

“There are other applications, that is why, after our investigation, we requested DENR to hold in abeyance the construction application for development,” Villamor said.

Although the resort’s business permit was recalled, its issuance was defended by Felito Pon, Sagbayan’s Office of the Mayor executive secretary.

“They applied and since there was a resolution from PAMB, we issued a business permit,” Pon said. “Every January and February of every year, the LGUs have renewal of business permit.”

Pon added that the permit was revoked after seeing on social media the closure order issued by the DENR. - Delon Porcalla, Evelyn Macairan, Romina Cabrera, Marc Jayson Caybyab, Bella Cariaso, Ghio Ong, Pia Lee-Brago, Gilbert Bayoran