Local leaders condemn suspension over Chocolate Hills scandal

MANILA, Philippines – At least two of the eight suspended mayors have spoken out, saying their suspension over the construction and operation of a resort amidst the Chocolate Hills in Bohol was unfair.

Five barangays in the cities of Batuan and Carmen that are members of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) for Chocolate Hills – a UNESCO national geological monument – ​​also expressed the same sentiment in separate interviews.

Carmen Mayor Conchita delos Reyes, who is serving her first term, said she was considering filing a request for a retrial through her lawyers.

“I was shocked,” Delos Reyes said when staff at the Ombudsman’s office sent her a six-month suspension without pay.

She complained that her office has nothing to do with the Captain’s Peak Garden & Resort, which is located amidst at least three geographical formations of the Chocolate Hills in the nearby town of Sagbayan.

“We don’t understand,” she said.

The same goes for Batuan Mayor Antonino Jumawid, who is in his final term.

Jumawid said the suspension was unfair and inappropriate on his part since there was no thorough investigation. He questioned why Batuan was included when it is not part of Sagbayan town where the resort is located.

Jumawid also condemned the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)’s action to issue warning letters to Batuan residents who constructed buildings without the required environmental impact assessment, since the entire area of ​​Batuan is a protected area.

He said these houses were built when there was no tourism and no Protected Areas Act. The Batuan mayor said this is like the government taking away people’s land without proper compensation, which is unconstitutional.

In addition to Delos Reyes and Jumawid, Clarin Mayor Eugene Ibarra, Catigbian Mayor Elizabeth Mandin, Bilar Mayor Norman Palacio, Sagbayan Mayor Jun Suarez, Valencia Mayor Dionisio Neil Balite and Sierra Bullones Mayor Michael Doria were also suspended.