After causing a public uproar, the resort that has built its facilities at the Chocolate Hills has shut down operations while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered the implementation of a directive it issued for its temporary closure.

To recall, the DENR issued a Temporary Closure Order last September 6, 2023 and a subsequent Notice of Violation to the resort last January 22 for operating despite its failure to secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).

The DENR took more than six months to enforce its closure order and almost two months to act on its notice of violation against the resort.

But amid the public outrage and viral social media posts of the resort’s facilities built right on the Philippine’s very first National Geological Monument, the DENR is apparently scampering to take action as it is now the target of accusations for “being complicit in defacing a natural monument.”

As of this morning (Thursday), the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of Bohol has confirmed that the resort has already complied with the closure order since yesterday.

It was also late afternoon yesterday (Wednesday) that the Captain’s Peak Resort management released an advisory that it “will be temporarily closed for maintenance and environmental preservation efforts.”

“During this closure, we will be implementing various eco-friendly initiatives to further enhance the sustainability of our resort. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of environmental stewardship and ensuring the preservation of the natural beauty that surrounds us,” the advisory states. (Kit Bagaipo)