Ombudsman launches own probe into Chocolate Hills resort

The Office of the Ombudsman has started its own investigation into the construction of a resort in Chocolate Hills, a protected area in Bohol.

This was confirmed by Ombudsman Samuel Martires in an interview on Dobol B TV on Tuesday.

"Kahapon ay nagsimula nang lumakad 'yung aming mga imbestigador. Isa ay pumunta sa opisina ng regional executive director sa Cebu, 'yung tatlo naman ay pumunta ng Bohol, pumunta sa bayan, at nagkakalap kami ng mga dokumento," Martires said.

"Harinawa ngayong araw na ito ay maibigay sa amin ang listahan ng mga members ng PAMB, 'yung mga taong nag-issue ng business permit at ng building permit," he added, referring to the Protected Area Management Board. 

(Yesterday our investigators started the probe. One of them went to the office of the regional executive director in Cebu while three went to Bohol to gather documents. Hopefully we will receive today the list of the members of PAMB who issued business and building permits to the project.)

Martires said they are hoping that case buildup will be "immediately" finished after the Lenten season so they could proceed with the preliminary investigation.

Proclamation 1037, which was issued by the late President Fidel Ramos on July 1, 1997, designated the Chocolate Hills as a National Geological Monument and Protected Landscape.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said in a statement last week that if a parcel of land was titled prior to Proclamation 1037, then "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," the DENR said.

The DENR, in the same statement, announced that it issued a temporary closure order in September 2023 as well as a violation notice in January 2024 against the resort called Captain's Peak Resort, which is located in Barangay Libertad Norte in Sagbayan town. 

In an episode of "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho," The resort's manager, Julieta Sablas, said they were given approval for the construction of the commercial area. Julieta's brother, Edgar Buton, owns the resort.

In 2005, Edgar bought an area with six hectares of land and three hills on it. Half of the land was used for the resort.

Julieta said that in 2018, they were given approval by PAMB and in the following year, they obtained the business permit from the local government of Sagbayan.

In 2022, they opened the resort to the public. 

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are set to separately investigation the resort project in Chocolate Hills.

Martires, in the Dobol B TV interview, said officials, as well as the resort's owners, could face administrative and criminal cases for allowing the project.

"So administratibo meron nakikita kaming liability. Sa puntos ng kriminal, may nakikita din kaming paglabag. So kung meron, damay din ang may-ari ng mga istraktura na ito," he said.

(So we can see administrative liability. We also see a criminal violation. So if there is violation, then the owners of these properties could be held liable, too.)

Mt. Apo

Meanwhile, when asked if the Ombudsman will also investigate claims that there were resorts along the protected area of Mt. Apo in Davao, Martires said they would first focus on Chocolate Hills.

"Pagkatapos nitong Chocolate Hills may gagawin din kaming mga team sa Mindanao para imbestigahan naman itong Mount Apo," Martires said.

(After we investigate the Chocolate Hills, we will also create a team to investigate Mt. Apo in Mindanao)

This was after Senator Raffy Tulfo said a group of mountaineers called his attention to the construction of several establishments in the Mt. Apo National Reserve. —with Joahna Lei Casilao/KBK, GMA Integrated News