By Marisol Bo-oc | 08:51 PM March 13, 2024
The controversial Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort Sagbayan, Bohol is not an accredited tourism establishment, the Department of Tourism said on Wednesday.
“The Captain’s Peak Resort Development in Chocolate Hills is not an accredited tourism establishment under the auspices of the Department of Tourism’s accreditation system, and there is no pending application for accreditation for the same,” the DOT said in a statement posted on their Facebook page.
The DOT added that it has been in coordination with the Bohol provincial government since August last year to express its concern regarding the matter.
“While development is essential for growth and progress, it must be conducted in harmony with environmental and cultural preservation,” the tourism department said.
In a TV interview, lawyer Jamie Aumentado Villamor, chair of the committee on environment of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), said that six months after her committee conducted an investigation on the alleged illegal structures at the Chocolate Hills, she didn’t receive any updates from DENR
“As of now, we have not received any official written comments or feedback from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and so with the result of their investigation regarding the Captain’s Peak Resort,” Villamor told GMA Integrated News.
She said SP Committee on Environment had conducted an investigation and submitted its report and recommendation last August and September 2023.
In a statement, the DENR said in a separate statement that it had already issued a temporary closure order against the resort in September 2023. The Notice of Violation to the project proponent was also sent last January 22.
The Bohol Provincial Athletic Meet Swimming Competition was held at the Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort last February 2024.
