Here’s the DENR statement about the controversial resort in Chocolate Hills.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) speaks about the controversial resort in Chocolate Hills in Bohol.
Currently highly controversial as of press time is the resort in the middle of Chocolate Hills in Bohol. People online questioned the construction of the resort called The Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan, Bohol within the proximity of the Unesco Heritage Geopark Chocolate Hills. This tourist spot is spread across the municipalities of Sagbayan, Batuan, Carmen, Bilar, Sierra Bullones, and Valencia.
In a Bohol Countryside Tour, Chocolate Hills is the spot every tourist should not miss and to see the resort at the foot of one of the hills bothered a lot of many people.
Many social media users raised their eyebrows as to how this was allowed to be built in a protected area. They believe that this natural wonder must be preserve and the building of the resort is not just an eyesore but can also possibly cause destruction.
After the photos went viral and created a loud buzz online, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued an official statement. In a statement released on March 13, Wednesday, DENR clarified that in 2023, they had issued a temporary closure order to the resort.
A notice of violation was also issued in January after it operated without an environmental compliance certificate or ECC. It noted that this tourist spot was declared a protected area in 1997 for the preservation of its iconic landscape and to sustain tourism.
If the property was titled before this declaration, DENR said that “the rights and interests of the landowner will generally be recognized and respected”.
“However, the declaration of the area as a protected area may impose certain restrictions or regulations on land use and development within the protected area, even for privately-owned lands. These restrictions and regulations are to be detailed in the Environmental Impact Statement prior to the issuance of an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the project,” it added.
In 1988, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the area a national geological monument “in recognition of its scientific value and geomorphic uniqueness”.
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