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

TOO CLOSE Guests at Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan, Bohol, get to see the world-famous Chocolate Hills up close. —LEO UDTOHAN

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday said it had already issued a temporary closure order and a notice of violation against a now-viral resort located within the Chocolate Hills protected area in Bohol.

According to the DENR, the closure order against Captain’s Peak Resort was issued on September 6, 2023.

Meanwhile, the Notice of Violation to the project proponent was sent to the resort on January 22, 2024, for operating without an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).

READ: Protect Chocolate Hills from development, Bohol official urges DENR

The DENR also said it has already created a team to inspect the resort’s compliance with the closure order.

“As of March 13, 2024, the Regional Executive Director Paquito D. Melicor issued a Memorandum directing PENRO (Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office) Bohol Ariel Rica to create a team to conduct inspection at Captain’s Peak for its compliance with the Temporary Closure Order,” the DENR said in a statement.

READ: Bohol showcases Chocolate Hills, local products in 34th Philippine Travel Mart

The Chocolate Hills has been declared a protected area since July 1, 1997, under Proclamation No. 1037.

While the DENR clarified that the rights and interests of landowners within the Chocolate Hills before Proclamation No. 1037 would “generally be recognized and respected,” restrictions and regulations are still imposed even on privately owned lands.

The DENR said such limitations are declared in the Environmental Impact Statement given before the issuance of an ECC, which the resort does not have.

Captain’s Peak Resort went viral on social media after a tourist video of the resort circulated on Facebook.

Netizens were quick to object to the resort’s location and question how an establishment was allowed to be built in a protected area.