By Ric Obedencio | 09:22 AM March 24, 2024
Carmen Mayor Conchita delos Reyes of this interior town said that the ‘Bud Agta’ situated in barangay Tamboan, where some of the chocolate hills are also located, has violated the law.
She said that she did not issue a mayor’s permit to the said resort this year since it only applied for trekking and camping grounds.
But she found that the resort has built a spiral staircase made of hard wood and GI pipes for the stairs of 174 steps uphill to the top of a chocolate hill based on the environmental clearance certificate issued by the Department of environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The construction of such staircase was not part of the application for the mayor’s permit, she said.
She admitted that she issued a mayor’s permit in 2023for the resort since she found that the resort was issued an ECC and has been allowed by the Protected Area management Board (PAMB).
The ECC of the resort provides for a hilltop viewing deck, aside from other amenities, like cottage area, rest rooms, resto bar, duck pond, trekking and camping grounds.
She said that the trending of the Captain’s Peak fiasco is a wake-up call to all stakeholders.
She said that the visit of Interior secretary Benjamin Abalos is a welcome development since this controversy calls for a review of the guidelines. She said that she will also conduct an inventory of all resorts established in protected areas in this town.
This town managed the Chocolate Hills complex, located at barangay Buenos Aires not far from the ‘Bud Agta’ resort. It’s owned by the provincial government under the agreement, which provides a sharing of net income of 70% for Carmen and 30% for the latter, among others.
It is built before the protected area were created and the declaration of the hills as national monument for its scientific and historical importance.
The mayor said that the Chocolate Hills complex raked in over P106 million last year, surpassing its target of P80 million from fees and other incomes. The arrivals of the complex is averaged at 2,500 visitors daily.
The Bohol media tried to get the side of the owner but she just kept silent. (Ric Obedencio)
