By Helen Castaño | 07:36 PM May 28, 2024
The Ombudsman has placed Bohol Gov. Aris Aumentado and other 68 government officials under a preventive suspension in connection with the controversial resort in inside the Chocolate Hills.
Aumentado’s suspension is the latest in a series of suspensions of sitting elective officials by the Ombudsman, who earlier also suspended Cebu Mayor Michael Rama and other local officials.
The Field Investigation Office (FIO) charged the officials with “grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service relative to to the construction, operation and expansion of The Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in barangay Canmano in Sagbayan town, an establishment nestled in the middle of the CHNM, a declared protected area.”
Ombudsman said “Captain’s Peak was allegedly constructed, operated and further developed without the required Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) and Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas (SAPA) from the Environmemtal Management Bureau (EMB) of DENR.
The Captain’s Peak was issued with mayor’s business, building and locational permits for the years 2020-2024 despite the repeated failure to secure the permits and clearances from the DENR.
Ombudsman said the officials tolerated the operation and expansion of Capain’s Peak despite its lack of environmental clearances and permits and flagrant violations of the NIPAS and E-NIPAs Act.”
The Chocolate Hills, composed of 1,700 hills, are protected National Integrated Protected Area System Act of 1992(NIPAS Act of 1992) and Expanded National Integrated Protected Area System Act of 2018 (E-NIPAS Act of 2018).
Other suspended officials were mayors Restituto Suarez III (Sagbayan), Antonino, Jumawid (Batuan), Elizabeth Mandin-Pace (Catigbian), Eugeniano Ibarra (Clarin), Norman Palacio (Bilar), Michael Doria (Sierra Bullones), Dionisio Neil Balite (Valencia) and Conchita Toribio-Delos Reyes (Carmen).
Also suspended were former mayors Manuel Jayectin (Bilar), Simplicio Maestrado Jr. (Sierra Bullones), Maria Katrina Lim (Valencia), Calixto Garcia (Valencia) and Ricardo Toribio (Carmen) and Bilar Vice Mayor Ranulfo Maligmat was also included.
Ma. Victoria Abrera, regional director of Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR); Paquito Melicor, DENR regional executive director and Gilbert Gonzales, regional dirextor of DENR Region 7, PAMB Chairman, were also suspended.
Some local village captains in Bilar, Carmen, Sagbayan, Batuan, Bilar, Dagohoy, Clarin also faces six-month suspension.
Aumentado said he would follow the order.
“Wala tay mahimo ani kay pagbuot sa Ombudsman. Mo-comply ta sa ilang mando,” he said.
“Dili pud ko maulaw kung unsa ni among giatubang nga hagit karun tungod kay dili ni tungod sa korupsyun tungod kay negligence sa ubang tawo sa nadamay lang ta isip usa ka gobernador. Nakalingkod ko kining problema diha nani. So, collateral damage rata ani mga nahitabo karun panahuna. Rest assured padayun ta,” he added.
Vice Gov. Dionisio Victor Balite was governor starting on Tuesday.
