Brgy chairman headed the PAMB who approved Choco resort — Abalos

Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. on Thursday made very disturbing findings on the controversial resort in Chocolate Hills.

Only a barangay captain served as a chairperson of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) when it issued a resolution allowing Captain's Peak to built a resort in the protected area of Bohol province.

Abalos who was there to find initial results of a team he formed to probe the fiasco, said the chairman from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was not present during the proceedings.

"When I saw a copy of the resolution, if I'm not mistaken, the DENR chairman was not present. The chairman was a barangay captain. So the application for Captain's Peak was passed," Abalos said.

He added that the organizational structure of PAMB includes a head from DENR, a governor, three district representatives, 65 barangay captains, and other representatives from different agencies.

And because of the lapses incurred he will gather the PAMB members in the regions to “capacitate” them with the help of the DENR.

Abalos said the DILG is also now listing other protected areas in the country to check if illegal structures were also constructed in these areas.

He created a task force to look into the possible accountability of local government officials in the construction of the Captain’s Peak Resort inside the protected area of Chocolate Hills.

The DENR said it ordered the resort's temporary closure in September 2023 and a Notice of Violation to the project proponent in January 2024 for operating without an environmental clearance certificate (ECC).