TAGBILARAN CITY – Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos assured there will be those liable for destroying the Chocolate Hills in the protected area.
“I’m sure mayroon ‘yan. Mayroong mananagot. They’re liable under the law,” he told reporters during his ocular inspection on Thursday at the controversial Captain’s Peak resort in Sagbayan town, which is operating without an environmental clearance certificate (ECC).
But he did not identify just yet of those accountable as he still has to evaluate the findings of his team investigating the fiasco prior to submitting them to the Ombudsman.
At the same time, Environment Secretary Antonia Loyzaga, who also conducted inspection of the same site, told media that there’s a possibility for closure of the said resort. She said that demolition of the resort may be done then restoration of those hills destroyed in what she called “disturbance” follows.
Both are of the opinion that preservation of the protected areas must be done.
Loyzaga described this concept as, not only for eco-tourism, but ‘conservation tourism’ in an apparent bid to move forward in protecting the critical areas. This is to provide livelihood for those residing within the protected areas.
“Most important at this point is if Bohol wants to keep its geopark status, it needs to have certain standards in terms of its development moving forward and part of that has to do with the rehabilitation of sites like this,” Loyzaga told the media.
Abalos and Loyzaga apparently agreed in two other things: review of the guidelines and inventory; and capacitating the members of the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB).
Abalos reacted to PAMB’s approval of a Resolution passed in 2018, granting go-signal of the Captain’s Peak resort since the said PAMB was then presided by a barangay captain. The resort was also given a building permit by the local government unit of Sagbayan even without an ECC. He said there was no chairman when PAMB allowed the said resolution to be approved.
PAMB allows the use of 20% of the Chocolate Hills that enabled the resort owner to build two water slides at the feet of the two hills attached to the swimming pool and some seven cottages. There are still two unfinished concrete buildings that are issued with building permit until the resort was close down when Abalos inspected the area.
He said that chocolate hills PAMB, based on the DENR administrative order, is chaired by DENR, and members are the governor, three congressmen, six municipal mayors, 65 barangays, academe, private sector, non-government organization, national government agencies such the Department of Agriculture, Department Science and Technology, PNP and others.
On inventory, Abalos said that he directed all the DILG regional directors to do an inventory thru his issued memorandum circular of all the establishments in protected areas and submit the same to him.
Loyzaga said inventory is in order and identify resorts in critical protected areas and review of some 114 legislated protected areas must be done.
Earlier, Bohol Gov. Aris Aumentado and provincial board member and environment committee chairperson Jiselle Rae Villamor have requested the DENR to do the inventory of all the establishments located in the protected areas of the province and submit to them the said list. (Ric Obedencio)
