Bohol governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado appealed the recent closure of the Chocolate Hills Resort, citing that the incident has taken away and will continue to deprive Boholanos of their right to use their land.
In a Senate hearing, Aumentado stated that the closure of the Chocolate Hills Resort in preference over local tourism, had prevented local businesses from being able to make a profit in their own properties.
“The closure of resorts, while a victory for environmentalists, also casts a shadow on the livelihood of those employed there and the economic aspiration of the local community,” Augmentado said. “This is a brutal reminder that every environmental decision is also a social one, affecting real people with real needs,” he added.
The Chocolate Hills Resort in question is the controversial Captain’s Peak Resort in Sagbayan town, Bohol. The spot went viral in March after a vlogger posted about the questionable location of the resort which sat right in the middle of Chocolate Hills: a protected area acknowledged by both local and international bodies such as UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) which declared the area as a Global Geopark.
Bohol is the only Philippine tourism area with the title.
Bohol Governor Says Closure of Chocolate Hills Resort Took Jobs From Boholanos
Currently, the Land Registration Authority says that there are 5,652 titled properties that span 7,860 hectares at the Chocolate Hills. During the hearing, Aumentado said that the government needed to acknowledge that before the area was declared a protected area, locals had already begun cultivating the land for their economic profit.
“Before this area was declared a protected site, there were communities and farmland already. These are places where they were born. These are their homes going back several generations,” Aumentado said before the Senate.
The Bohol governor also said that if there is a strict prohibition for the landowners to use their property due to land protection policies, then the landowners should be appropriately compensated due to the reason that the locals will not be able to make a profit from their own properties any longer.
Aumentado also added that if the development in the area is allowed, then the policies and guidelines should have ‘no room for ambiguity’, especially regarding the roles of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), which is responsible for protecting the land.
The Unseen Challenges of Land Protection and Preservation
However, the appeal was not well-received by numerous senators, namely, Sen. Nancy Binay, who chairs the Senate Tourism Committee, and Sen. Cynthia Villar, who presided over the hearing.
According to Sen. Binay, the governor should not ignore the fact that the Cholocate Hills is a UNESCO-declared protected area. The Chocolate Hills is also protected under Proclamation No. 1037, which designates it as a National Geological Monument and a Protected Landscape.
Sen. Villar also recalled that Gov. Aumentado was the one who fought for the inclusion of the Chocolate Hills in the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas Systems law when it was passed by Congress. Back then, Aumentado was still sitting as Bohol’s congressman.
Currently, the controversial Chocolate Hills resort is closed due to the lack of an environmental compliance certificate. Its business permit has also been revoked.
Gov. Aumentado retains his sentiment that the protection of lands is a complicated issue that will always have socioeconomic implications.
“The challenge is to protect the environment while nurturing the social fabric of our societies,” he said.
References
The Philippine Star Life. (n.d.). Bohol governor laments closure of Chocolate Hills resort, says residents deprived of livelihood. The Philippine Star Life. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://philstarlife.com/news-and-views/839183-bohol-governor-laments-closure-resort-chocolate-hills?page=2
PhilStar. (n.d.). Bohol governor appeals resort closure. PhilStar. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/04/04/2345186/bohol-governor-appeals-resort-closure
Sitchon, J. (2024, March 15). Controversial Chocolate Hills resort shuts down. Rappler. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://www.rappler.com/nation/visayas/chocolate-hills-resort-shuts-down-march-14-2024/
