The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Provincial government of Bohol are collaborating on a bill to amend the boundary specifications of Chocolate Hills, the country’s first global geopark.
DENR in Central Visayas executive director Charlie Fabre, in an interview on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, said this move aims to address confusion as the temporary closure of the controversial Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan, Bohol last March, has somehow discouraged local government units (LGUs) from issuing permits for new structures in the area.
“The reason why we’re having problems here in Bohol is that the local government units (LGUs) are hesitant to issue building permits because they’re afraid they might violate our regulations,” Fabre said in Cebuano, in an interview on the side of the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas by the Philippine Information Agency 7 on Tuesday.
Fabre said if approved, the bill will restrict construction within a 20-meter setback around the hills while allowing unrestricted construction on the flat lands outside this boundary; government agencies can then proceed with the developmental aspects in the area.
Fabre added that he was supposed to visit Bohol this Friday, July 19, to update the province’s Protected Area Management Plan (PAMP) to ensure that it aligns with their proposed bill.
PAMP serves as a vital roadmap for ensuring the long-term health of a protected area.
Fabre said they will strive to complete and submit the draft of the bill to the DENR central office next week.
He said the Department of Public Works and Highways has planned projects in Chocolate Hills, but the agency is worried that they might end up putting the project in a restricted area.
Fabre told reporters that about 14,000 hectares of flat areas in between Chocolate Hills used to be “unprotected and can be titled” by an individual or a company.
However, in 1997, former President Fidel Ramos, through Proclamation 1037, declared that about 14,000 hectares covering the Chocolate Hills were restricted for construction.
Meanwhile, during the presidency of Gloria Arroyo, it was decided that only the hills themselves and a 20-meter setback from their base would be restricted. This means that the spaces between the hills are available for the construction of structures.
However, the enactment of the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) in 2018 amended Ramos’ proclamation, changing these regulations.
“Ang kang Ramos, 14, 100 (hectares), plus ang depersensya lang is gamay lang kay 13,996 (hectares) ang sa ENIPAS Act,” he said.
(Ramos’ proclamation covers 14,100 hectares; its difference with ENIPAS is just minor, as the latter covers construction restriction to 13,996 hectares of land covering Chocolate Hills.)
To recall, netizens slammed the owners of the Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in the town of Sagbayan after a video posted by a vlogger became viral on social media. The video showed that the resort was built within the protected area of Chocolate Hills in Bohol.
The Office of the Ombudsman ordered a six-month suspension of Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado and 68 other local government officials.
Bohol congressmen also filed last May a bill that seeks to expand the composition of the Protected Area Management Board. / CDF