A resort at the foot of the Chocolate Hills. The Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort/Facebook  

MANILA —  House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Thursday ordered an investigation into a resort constructed in the iconic Chocolate Hills in Bohol. 

ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo disclosed the Speaker's directive during a news briefing. 

"We are set to file on Monday a moto propio inquiry regarding that matter. Hindi rin po nagustuhan ng House leadership po iyon. I’ve been communicating with the Speaker…napag-uusapan po at nasabi ko na po sa kanya, magpa-file po tayo ng inquiry regarding this matter," he said. 

The lawmaker likened the controversial Captain's Peak Resort in Sagbayan town to a "kulugo" or wart.

“Kahit ano pang palusot nung daldal po nang daldal sa social media ‘yung kanilang manager doon...sinasabi niya di naman daw nila ginalaw ‘yung Chocolate Hills the mere fact na andoon ka tiningnan ko nga ho di nila ginalaw nasa gitna sila ng dalawang hill sinira nila ‘yung view,” he said.

“Actually para makita mo nang maganda ‘yung hill na ‘yan may aakyatin kang parang tore makikita mo ngayon ang pangit na ho tignan.”

(Even if the manager of the place says on social media that they did not build on the hills, the mere presence of the construction is unacceptable because they ruined the view.)

The upcoming House inquiry comes after social media users expressed dismay over the construction of the resort in the middle of Bohol's protected geological formation.

Captain's Peak Resort manager Julieta Sablas on Wednesday said that they had been allowed to operate at the foot of the Chocolate Hills even without an environmental compliance certificate or ECC.

“‘Yung Chocolate Hills iniingatan po namin," she said. 

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Tulfo however maintained that the Chocolate Hills was declared a national heritage.

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ACCOUNTABILITY

Tulfo said lawmakers wanted to investigate who authorized the construction of the resort, which needed permits from local government units. 

He said many officials could be held accountable.

Sablas, the resort manager, said they were issued the necessary government permits for the construction of their resort and that they are aware that the Chocolate Hills is a protected area.

Tulfo pointed out that the land where the resort is located should not have been issued a title because the area was declared a heritage site.

On Thursday, Sagbayan information officer Felito Pon said the town had revoked the business permit of the Captain's Peak Resort.

"We will serve it today to cease and desist all its operations and ongoing constructions," Pon said.

Chocolate Hills resort temporarily closed for 'maintenance, environmental preservation'

Separately, the Gabriela party-list filed a resolution to investigate the resort.

"Clearly, the DENR failed to ensure that the resort complied with the closure order issued last September 2023. It is important to scrutinize how such construction was permitted in an area which is supposedly safeguarded by environmental regulations," Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said in a statement.

SENATE, LGU 

Meanwhile, the Senate's Committee on Environment and Natural Resources will file a resolution "to find out how this came about", said Sen. Cynthia Villar. 

Sen. Nancy Binay, head of the Senate Committees on Tourism and Cultural Communities, filed a separate resolution to direct the proper panels to look into the resort's construction. 

Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado meanwhile slammed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for allegedly failing to take immediate action on the issue. 

“Ipasira unta na ninyo! (You should have closed it),” he told a DENR-Central Visayas official after a Regional Development Council meeting. 

The DENR-Central Visayas refused to comment on the issue pending an official statement from their head office.

Aumentado said that they waited for over six months for DENR to take action after their investigation but they did not receive anything from them.

They also only learned of the closure order against the resort on social media since they were not given any copies.

“Wala mi kaybaw nga naa diay closure ana ilang resort karon nga nagviral na nuon (we did not know that they have a closure order until it went viral),” the governor said.

They are now considering seeking a dialogue with DENR or possibly filing administrative cases against the agency.

Aumentado is also open to a Senate inquiry on the matter.

“At least ang DENR ma-clear up ilang mga lapses,” Aumentado said.

-- With a report from Annie Perez