Chocolate Hills coverage cut to 642 peaks in amended bill
TAGBILARAN CITY—The coverage of the Chocolate Hills has been refined to 642 hills and peaks across 440 land parcels under proposed amendments to House Bill No. 831, following a key Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting.
Wth at least 1,776 hills, the Chocolate Hills are the tourism signature of Bohol and are famed for their unique appearance—turning brown during the dry season, which inspired their name.
Bohol Rep. Alexie Besas Tutor, who led the TWG on April 8, said the panel has finalized its consolidated amendments and is ready to elevate them to the House committee on natural resources.
Among the key changes is the reclassification of the site from a “Natural Monument” to a “Geological Monument,” shifting its designation from Chocolate Hills National Monument, or CHNM, to Chocolate Hills Geological Monument, or CHGM.
Geographic scope
The proposal also reduces the buffer zone from 20 meters to 5 meters and provides a clearer technical definition of the protected area.
The measure narrows its geographic scope from eight local government units to three: Carmen, Batuan, and Sagbayan, excluding Valencia, Sierra Bullones, Bilar, Clarin, and Catigbian.
In Batuan, the number of barangays included in the protected area has been reduced from 15 to five, aligning coverage with the actual location of hills and peaks.
House Bill No. 831 seeks to define clear boundaries, reorganize the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), ensure sustainable funding, and align the measure with Republic Act No. 11038.
The proposed amendments come amid recurring controversies surrounding the Chocolate Hills, including debates over land use, resort and infrastructure developments within or near protected zones, and concerns over the enforcement of environmental laws.
Encroachment
In recent years, critics have raised alarm over construction activities and tourism projects seen as potentially encroaching on the landscape, prompting calls for stricter regulation and clearer boundaries.
Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan was shut down in March 2024 following public outrage over its illegal construction within the protected Chocolate Hills National Monument.
The resort lacked an environmental compliance certificate. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is investigating other structures, including Sagbayan Peak and Bud Agta.
A total of 558 establishments, mostly smaller ones, are being investigated for operating within the protected area without proper permits.
These issues have underscored long-standing challenges in balancing conservation with tourism and local economic interests, as well as raised questions about the effectiveness of the PAMB in safeguarding the site.
Tutor expressed optimism that the bill will gain swift approval in the House and Senate, ensuring long-term protection of the province’s natural heritage.
She also acknowledged the support of the provincial government under Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan led by Vice Gov. Nicanor Besas, and Board Member Jamie Aumentado Villamor, chair of the committee on tourism.
The TWG deliberations are expected to strengthen conservation and management efforts for the Chocolate Hills, one of the Philippines’ most iconic geological formations.
