By Marisol Bo-oc | 05:17 PM March 13, 2024
Senator Nancy Binay on Wednesday said he she was mad at the sight of resorts built within the protected Chocolate Hills in Bohol province.
“Nakakagalit at nakakadurog ng puso ang nakita nating mga nakatayo nang resorts sa mga paanan mismo ng Chocolate Hills,” Binay said in a statement.
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
“Sa unang tingin pa lamang, alam na nating may mali,” added Binay, the chairperson of the Senate committee on tourism.
She said if indeed agencies tasked to protect the Chocolate Hills, it should have a pro-environment mindset.
“How come a resort with cottages and a swimming pool was allowed to be constructed inside a “classified natural monument’ and a protected UNESCO geopark,” Binay asked.
Binay was referring to the now-viral Captain’s Peak Resort in Sagbayan town and Bud Agta in Carmen town.
“We understand the importance of development, but there should be boundaries,” she pointed out.
“If the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) continues to issue ECCs (environmental compliance certificates) in the guise of ‘tourism development,’ I believe they have misunderstood what ecotourism is all about, and they have become complicit to defacing a natural monument they’re supposed to oppose,” she said.
She also cited a resolution issued by the DENR’s Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), endorsing the development of the Captain’s Peak Resort within the Chocolate Hills Natural Monument.
She then demanded the agencies and other local offices — DENR and PAMB, the Bohol Environment Management Office, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office and local government units to explain why permits were granted.
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.
