The Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan, Bohol where its structures and

amenities were visibly built by the foot of the hills. This drew concerns from the public,
with many pondering why and how the Department of Natural Resources (DENR)
allowed the construction of such a development in the area.

In an interview with Cebu media outlet The Freeman in 2023, Julieta Sablas, the
administrator and sister of the owner of The Captain’s Peak, Edgar Buton, stated that
the resort had undergone the proper process for its construction. She further said that
they also presented a proposal to the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB) of
the DENR when changes were made to the approved plan regarding the location of
some of the amenities.

Protected zone

 As pointed out by the DENR, the Chocolate Hills were declared a protected area
in 1997 by the administration of the late president Fidel V. Ramos.

“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,” its statement read.

 The agency explained that such restrictions shall be detailed in the

environmental impact statement prior to the issuance of an ECC, which the
resort did not have.
 Sablas said the property is located in Sagbayan town. According to the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) website,
the municipality is among the locations of the Chocolate Hills.
 Sablas said her brother, Edgar Button, bought the property – around 5 hectares of
land – in 2005 before starting development around 2018. About 2 hectares of the
lot were made into a resort with a swimming pool and cottages.

Property owner’s rights

 The Chocolate Hills, the tourism signature of Bohol, is recognized as one of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)
Global Geoparks, the first in the country.
 The attraction is composed of 1,776 limestone mounds surrounding the island’s
interior plains. It earned its name because the hills turn brown, akin to
 chocolates, during the dry season. The biggest concentrations of these hills are
found in the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan.
 In 1997, then President Fidel Ramos, through Presidential Decree (PD) No. 1037,
declared the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, Bilar, Batuan, Sagbayan, Sierra Bullones
and Valencia towns as a Natural Monument, ensuring their protection.
 But according to the DENR, the rights of landowners of titled properties within
the Chocolate Hills are recognized provided these titles were issued prior to PD
1037.
 However, restrictions would be imposed when these properties would be
developed, which should be detailed in the Environmental Impact Statement
prior to the issuance of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the
project, the DENR said.
 In the case of Captain’s Peak, no ECC was issued.
 The DENR said a TCO was issued to Captain’s Peak on Sept. 6, 2023, and a
separate notice of violation served to the project proponent on Jan. 22 for
operating without an ECC.
 But the manager of Captain’s Peak, Julieta Sablas, told the Inquirer in an
interview that they were still appealing the TCO.
 Sablas said her brother, Edgar Buton, bought the land in 2005 from a certain
Amores family that owned the land prior to the 1997 proclamation. She said they
received approval from the DENR’s Protected Area Management Board (PAMB)
to build the resort in 2018.
 They also received a business permit from the Sagbayan local government in
2019 and held a soft opening that year. In 2020, construction started, but this was
stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic, so they were only able to fully operate in
2022.

Outrage online
 The story of the resort went viral after netizens shared content creator Ren The
Adventurer’s social media post which showed an aerial view video of the
property.
 Gerard Jamora, a resident of Bohol, said in a social media post, “Giguba raman
ninyo nang Chocolate Hills (You’re just destroying the Chocolate Hills).”
 Another netizen from Cebu, Jerome Chavez, said that the resort was an
“eyesore” and tagged the Department of Tourism on the viral video.