By Marisol Bo-oc, Helen Castano | 12:24 AM March 14, 2024
Rep. Alexie Besas Tutor of Bohol’s third district on Thursday said that the controversial resort should be demolished after following due process.
“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, ” said Tutor
She said she is “against any decision or action that goes against the status of the Chocolate Hills as a UNESCO Geopark.”
She also supported the moves of Bohol Province Board Member Atty. Jamie Aumentado Villamor, chairperson of the Provincial Board Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Protection.
She said she agreed with the Committee’s findings and course of action. The Committee is correct in seeking the intervention of the Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.
“We hope the DENR Secretary will hold in abeyance the decision on the operation of Captain’s Peak Resort,” she said.
“There is a process. I will first trust the administrative process and exhaust all administrative remedies. If the administrative process does not work, those with proper legal standing can go to court to stop the Captain’s Peak Resort and also hold liable the government officials who permitted the construction and operation of that eyesore of a resort for their wrong actions on this matter, ” Tutor said.
An aerial video of Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort went viral on Tuesday night. It was uploaded by vlogger Ren The Adventurer. However, it sparked outrage among netizens.
In a separate statement, the DENR explained that it has already issued a temporary closure order in September last year.
A team will be formed to inspect the resort’s compliance with the closure order, the department added.
Last January 22, the DENR said they also issued a notice of violation to the project proponent for operating without an ECC.
Gov. Aris Aumentado said that “we will elevate this to the Secretary of the DENR for a clear guidance and direction.”
He said the issue was already addressed in September 2023.
He said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Environment has conducted an investigation and submitted its report and recommendation.
” As stewards of the province, we cannot let this go on. We have asked DENR and the PAMB to change its policy to the point that any development within the Chocolate Hills area which is not consistent to Bohol’s UNESCO designation as a Global Geopark should be disallowed,” said.
