Bohol governor and 68 others suspended over Chocolate Hills construction

Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado announced on May 28, 2024, that the Ombudsman had placed him and 68 other officials on precautionary suspension for six months as part of an investigation into construction in the Chocolate Hills, a nature reserve and global geological park.

Aumentado said in a video posted on the official social media page of the Bohol provincial government that he learned of the Ombudsman’s order on the morning of May 28, 2024.

“More than 68 years ago, a series of questionable landmarks and monuments to the Chocolate Hills National Monument were built at Captain’s Peak Resort. The insurance is confirmed in the Senate and in camera. “Considering that people were young in the 1970s, they were all exhausted and dying,” Aumentado said.

The governor listed that the other suspended officials include regional directors, department heads, mayors and punong barangays.

He called on Capitol employees to continue to serve the people with dignity, integrity, dedication and honesty.

“I will return,” said the governor.

Buildings in the Geopark

Previously, the development of a resort on the site of the Chocolate Hills, which is considered a tourist flagship of Bohol, had met with fierce resistance.

A video circulating on the Internet of a resort in the town of Sagbayan between the Haycock Hills, popularly known as Chocolate Hills, sparked fierce criticism among Internet users.

The video log (vlog) of March 6, 2024 went viral as netizens mentioned that the construction of the resort in the area in 2023 had already met with criticism. Netizens pointed out that the commercial development is taking place in a protected area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a designated Geopark.

While most of the 1,776 haystack mounds are located in the town of Carmen, where the UNESCO marker is located, the mounds are spread across neighboring towns such as Sagbayan, Sierra Bullones and Batuan.

VIRAL SINCE 2023

A member of the provincial council had previously stated that the issue had gone viral again and that she believed that six months after an investigation into the alleged illegal construction near the Chocolate Hills, nothing had been done.

Atty. Jamie Aumentado Villamor, chair of the PB environmental committee, said the board has already sent a request to DENR to put the commercial development on hold.

Villamor stressed that the Bohol DENR-Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) ordered a halt to construction in September 2023.

However, their committee launched an investigation after reports of continued construction of a swimming pool, water slides and cottages at Captain’s Peak Resort.

In addition, other buildings in the city of Carmen that were built within the National Monument were also examined.