Senate probes construction of resort inside Chocolate Hills

BUSINESS WITHIN THE HILLS Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan, Bohol shown in this August 2023 photo. (File picture from LEO UDTOHAN)

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate committee on environment, natural resources and climate change began its investigation on Wednesday into the construction of a resort within the protected Chocolate Hills in Bohol.

READ: DENR: Closure order vs resort near Chocolate Hills issued Sept. 2023

The investigation was prompted by separate resolutions filed by Senators Nancy Binay, Joel Villanueva, Loren Legarda, and Cynthia Villar, as well as the privilege speech delivered by Senator Raffy Tulfo on March 18.

Villar, head of the chamber’s environmental panel, said earlier that the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) should be held accountable for permitting the construction of Captain’s Peak, the now-viral resort in the Chocolate Hills.

“I am wondering how that (resort) was able to pass through the PAMB,” said Villar then.

“It’s like they don’t understand that it’s a protected area,” she added.

READ: Villar hits PAMB over Chocolate Hills resort

In a quick note sent to the media, the panel said the hearing also seeks to probe other protected areas in the Philippines that are being exploited and defaced.

READ: Illegal structures also found on Davao’s Mt. Apo, reveals Sen. Raffy Tulfo

Possible points for discussion during the Senate’s Wednesday hearing include the following:

Potential governmental negligence in the conservation and management of protected areas

Laws, regulations, proclamations and policies affecting the protection of the country’s preserved regions to facilitate more cohesive legislation

Prospective legislative measures to address shortcomings in existing legal frameworks