A RESORT in Bohol drew flak from social media users and other stakeholders since it was built in the middle of Chocolate Hills, the Philippines’ first global geopark recognized by the cultural agency of the United Nations.
On March 6, a content creator going by the moniker Ren The Adventurer shared aerial footage of The Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan, Bohol, on Facebook.
The majority of responses to the video were critical, with some wondering how the resort owners managed to proceed with the development considering that the Chocolate Hills are in a protected area.
Senate tourism committee chairperson Nancy Binay, meanwhile, filed a resolution seeking a legislative investigation into the matter.
”We understand the importance of development, but there should be boundaries. If the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) continues to issue ECCs (environmental compliance certificates) under the guise of ‘tourism development,’ I believe they have misunderstood what ecotourism is all about and have become complicit in defacing a natural monument they’re supposed to oppose,” Binay said.
However, the DENR said it had issued a temporary closure order on September 6, 2023, and a notice of violation to the developer of Captain’s Peak on January 22, 2024, for operating without an ECC.
DENR personnel in Bohol were also directed to inspect Captain’s Peak to determine compliance with the temporary closure order.
About Chocolate Hills
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Chocolate Hills consist of 1,776 conical mounds located in the towns of Carmen, Batuan, Sagbayan, Bilar, Valencia, and Sierra Bullones.
”These were the uplift of coral deposits and the result of the action of rainwater and erosion,” UNESCO said.
”During the dry season when precipitation is inadequate, the grass-covered hills turn chocolate brown, hence the name in reference to a branded confection.”
In July 1997, then-President Fidel Ramos issued Proclamation No. 1037, designating Chocolate Hills as a National Geological Monument and Protected Landscape.
The proclamation states that ”regardless of the existence of prior private rights, no activity of any kind, including quarrying, which will alter, mutilate, deface, or destroy the hills, shall be conducted.”
The National Integrated Protected Areas System Act or Republic Act 7586 also prohibits ”mutilating, defacing, or destroying objects of natural beauty or objects of interest to cultural communities (of scenic value).”
