Senate urged to probe resorts within protected areas

A PHILIPPINE senator on Tuesday filed a resolution seeking to investigate land use agreements involving the country’s protected areas amid reports of resorts being built within the Chocolate Hills in Bohol province and Mount Apo Natural Park in central Mindanao.

Senate Resolution 976, by Senator Cynthia A. Villar called on the Senate to look into illegal construction activities within protected environmental areas.

Ms. Villar asked the Senate to probe in aid of legislation the management practices, status of land use agreements and protection mechanisms within these areas.

She also cited the need to probe reports of illegal logging and quarrying in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape, which she said could worsen flooding in Rizal and Marikina.

The Chocolate Hills and Mount Apo are United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization world heritage sites.

Both are protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Act of 1992.

Last week, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said it had ordered the closure of the resort within Chocolate Hills in September for operating without an environmental compliance certificate.

A video of the Captain’s Peak Resort, which is in the middle of the hills, went viral on social media last week, drawing flak from environmental groups and advocates.

On Monday, Senator Rafael T. Tulfo told the Senate plenary that mountaineering groups had reported several resorts operating within the Mount Apo National Reserve, citing the need to investigate why these were being allowed.

“It is deemed essential to examine the management practices... the adequacy or absence of protection mechanisms provided to each of the country’s protected areas,” Ms. Villar said in the resolution.

“[This is] to ensure that the original intentions and wise foresight in their establishment are not undermined, thereby securing a sustainable future for the present and future generations.”