Senator: Protected areas not for business purposes

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SEN. Cynthia Villar yesterday said structures built within protected areas should enhance, not destroy, the declared environment and natural treasurers.

Villar made the statement in an interview with dzBB radio amid the continuing public uproar over the construction and operation of the controversial Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort within the Chocolate Hills protected area in the province of Bohol.

“Pwede rin magtayo ng istruktura sa Chocolate Hills pero dapat to enhance the protected area, not to destroy the protected area (You can build structures in Chocolate Hills but these should enhance the protected areas, not destroy them), said Villar, whose family owns the land developer firm Camella Homes.

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“Kapag protected area, hindi siya pam-business. Hindi natural na may resort sa protected area (If it’s a protected area, it is not for business. It is not natural for a resort to be located in a protected area),” she stressed.

Instead of a resort, Villar suggested an “eco-tourism” destination as an alternative.

Villar said the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources can conduct a hearing on the operations of The Captain’s Peak even during the Holy Week break, particularly the week after the Lenten season.

“Ipa-file namin ang resolusyon sa Senate para kahit break, maghi-hearing kami (We will file a resolution in the Senate, so that even if we are on break, we can still hold hearings)… If it’s not Holy Week, the week after Holy Week,” she said.

Villar said that based on her initial assessment, the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) failed to do its mandate and should be the one to be held accountable for the mess.

“Dapat papanagutin ang PAMB (The PAMB should be held liable for this), and they are composed of NGO, local government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” she said, adding: “Ang nagma-manage ng PAMB is DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources). Siya ‘yung secretariat ng PAMB (The PAMB is managed by the DENR. It is the secretariat of the PAMB,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Christopher Go backed the planned conduct of the Senate probe on the controversy as he emphasized the importance of sustainable tourism development and strict compliance with environmental laws to protect particularly natural heritage site.

“Ako po’y nananawagan, kung kailangan nating imbestigahan ito, check natin mabuti.

Importante po ang pagprotekta sa environment (I am calling, if there is a need for an investigation, we should do it. It is important to protect our environment),” Go said. .

He said that while he recognized the economic benefits of tourism, there is a need to balance economic gains with environmental sustainability.

“Naintindihan naman natin, importante po ang turismo, karagdagang trabaho, at sa industriya ng turismo, malaking tulong po ito. ‘Pag may mga turista, may mga mabibigyan po ng trabaho sa kanilang mga lugar (We understand the importance of tourism, that if there are tourists, many will be able to get jobs in their respective areas),” said Go as he stressed the need for sustainable tourism development that would adhere to environmental laws and regulations.

“Balansehin po muna natin. Gusto natin ang turismo, ngunit protect environment first (Let us balance things. As much as we want tourism, we should also protect the environment),” he said.

Go also highlighted the example of Boracay, where lack of adherence to environmental regulations led to significant ecological damage.

He added that environmental degradation poses an increased risk of natural disasters, such as floods, exacerbated by climate change and the Philippines’ geographic position in the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The DENR earlier said it had issued a closure order to the controversial resort, citing its operation without an environmental compliance certificate.

It added that the owner of the resort may face a fine of up to P5 million for operating the resort without the required certification.

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