The now-viral resort at the foot of Chocolate Hills on Wednesday announced its temporary closure after being called out by government agencies and drawing flak on social media.
The Captain's Peak Garden and Resort made the announcement on their social media page by changing their profile and cover photos.
"To our valued guests. This is to inform you that our resort is temporarily closed until further notice. Sorry, for the inconvenien[ce]," it read.
The resort went viral after a three-minute viral video, uploaded by video creator Ren The Adventurer on his Facebook page last March 6, showed a landscape view of Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort located in Sagbayan, Bohol.
Netizens were quick to call out the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DENR) and the national government for allowing the establishment to be built in the area.
However, according to the DENR, a temporary closure order was issued to the resort in September 2023 as well as a violation notice in January 2024.
The DENR also said it has already created a team to inspect the resort’s compliance with the closure order.
The Department of Tourism, meanwhile, revealed that The Captain's Peak Garden and Resort is not an accredited tourism establishment under the agency's accreditation system and has no pending application for the same.
Interviewed on DZRH's Damdaming Bayan, Atty. Jaime Villamor, board member of the Bohol provincial government, said the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR permitted the construction of the said resort.
"Confirmed naman ng Protected Area Management Board ng DENR na meron silang pahintulot to construct and operate. Based on the investigation namin, also the documents we have gathered, meron silang endorsement and approval for the construction and operation," she said.
The Chocolate Hills were declared as a national geological monument in the country on June 18, 1988.
On July 1, 1997, it was declared a protected area through Proclamation No. 1037 issued by then-president Fidel Ramos.
