This aerial shot of Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan town in Bohol province shows a large swimming pool in between the scenic Chocolate Hills. This photo was posted in the resort’s Facebook page, but it was deactivated on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, after the photo went viral.
PHOTO BY LEO UDTOHAN
MANILA, Philippines — If Senator Nancy Binay would have it her way, she would want the controversial Chocolate Hills resort demolished.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Binay maintained that Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort is such an eyesore as it is located in between the famous hills – a favorite tourist spot.
“Sinabi ni [Environment] Secretary Loyzaga kanina na parang they are in the process of hearing itong issue ng Captain’s Peak, but sa akin – ‘yung structure itself, sobra siyang sakit sa bangs ‘yung itsura. Between the hill, ‘di ba? For me, dapat matanggal talaga ‘yang structure,” she said.
(Environment Secretary Loyzaga said earlier that they are in the process of hearing this issue of Captain’s Peak, but to me – the structure itself, its appearance is a mess. Between the hills, right? For me, that structure should really be removed.)
READ: Chocolate Hills resort ‘temporarily closed until further notice’
Senator Cynthia Villar, meanwhile, said the resort’s non-demolition may pave the way for more individuals and businesses to build more structures in the protected area.
“Kapag hindi ka naging matigas dyan marami pang gagawa niyan,” Villar told reporters in another press conference also on Wednesday.
(If you would not be tough there will be many more.)
READ: DENR stops operation of Chocolate Hills resort
“We have to be strict now because they will come and more will be built. Pagkatapos nyan, wala nang legislated protected area [at] naging ordinary lugar na lang. Hindi na legislated protected area,” she added.
(We have to be strict now because they will come and more will be built. After that, there will no longer be a legislated protected area and it would just become an ordinary place. No longer a legislated protected area.)
Villar then cited the Las-Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park as an example, saying they never built businesses within the area.
“We built a museum, we built a visitors’ center, we built an eating place but there’s no one managing it because [it’s] just a place to eat when there’s an affair,” she said, pointing out that it wouldn’t be pleasing to see businesses in protected areas.
Chocolate Hills was declared the Philippines’ third National Geological Monument on June 18, 1988, “in recognition of its scientific value and geomorphic uniqueness,” according to the UNESCO website.
“Similar to the formations found in Java, the conical and almost symmetrical and same-sized hills known as the ‘Chocolate Hills’, are more aesthetically extensive. These were the uplift of coral deposits and the result of the action of rainwater and erosion,” states the entry about Chocolate Hills on the UNESCO website.
“The hills are located throughout the towns of Carmen, Batuan, and Sagbayan and consist of about 1,776 mounds of the same general shape. During the dry season, when precipitation is inadequate, the grass-covered hills turn chocolate brown, hence the name in reference to a branded confection,” it also states.