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MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Office of the Ombudsman have started their separate probes to determine the liability of government officials responsible for granting permits for the establishment and operation of a resort at the foot of Chocolate Hills.
DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos said the members of the task force formed by the agency are currently in Bohol to look into the possible accountability of local officials and recommend the filing of cases against the individuals involved in the construction of Captain’s Peak Resort in Sagbayan, Bohol.
“How was this allowed? Was it permitted or not permitted? And above all, who should be accountable for this?” Abalos said in Filipino.
The DILG chief said those who would be found liable would be charged before the Office of the Ombudsman, which is also conducting its own investigation into the matter.
“Hopefully, we’ll complete our case build-up immediately after the Lenten season. We aim to start the preliminary investigation right away,” Ombudsman Samuel Martires told radio Super Radyo DZBB in Filipino.
The probes of the Ombudsman and the DILG will also cover other resorts within the Chocolate Hills area. Aside from Captain’s Peak, other tourism-related establishments in the area include Sagbayan Peak in Sagbayan town and Bud Agta in Carmen town.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said last week that it had issued a temporary closure order in September 2023 and a notice of violation in January 2024 to the administrators of the Captain’s Peak Resort for operating without an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).
In 1997, former President Fidel Ramos declared the Chocolate Hills, a unique karst landscape composed of 1,776 smooth conical hills, a natural monument. This designation aims to protect and maintain the area’s natural beauty.
Under Proclamation 1037, “no activity of any kind including quarrying, which will alter, mutilate, deface or destroy the hills shall be conducted” regardless of the existence of prior private rights.
But according to the DENR, the rights of landowners will generally be recognized and respected if land titles were issued prior to Proclamation 1037.
However, restrictions or regulations on land use and development within the protected area may be imposed even for privately-owned lands. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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