The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday said the resort operating in the Chocolate Hills protected area without an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) may face up to a P5 million fine.
DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations Juan Miguel Cuna said Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort may face fines worth P1 million to P5 million for criminal liability.
“Under the E-NIPAS Law po, ‘yun ang mabigat kasi there are penalties for criminal liability. May mga penalty po siya. It is not small, minimum of P1 million to P5 million maximum for criminal liability,” Cuna said in a press conference.
“Mayroon pong karagdagang minimum of six years to maximum of 12 years imprisonment for putting up structures without the appropriate permits within the protected area,” he added.
Cuna added that a cease and desist order was issued on March 14, putting the resort under close monitoring of the agency to make sure it won’t open for business.
“The regional executive director of Region 7 and the regional director of EMB (Environmental Management Bureau) Region 7 issued a joint cease and desist order to the establishment to ensure that they are no longer operating,” he said.
“That is where we are right now, and we are closely monitoring the Captain’s Peak to ensure that they remain closed and not open for operations,” he added.
The DENR’s order came six months after it issued a Temporary Closure Order (TCO) on Sept. 6, 2023 and nearly three months after it issued a notice of violation on January 22 against the resort.
Meanwhile, Cuna said the possibility of demolishing the establishment is being studied.
“Private property po ito at ang hindi pwede ay mag-operate sila without the ECC. So, the fact that it’s a private property, the proponent is the one who spent to put up the structures ay kailangan pag-aralan ‘yan,” Cuna said.
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