Media should check construction in protected areas

THE BUILDING of a resort in the midst of the fabled Chocolate Hills of Bohol was first revealed by a social media post to advertise the place, oblivious to the serious concerns it raised. Netizens quickly reacted and triggered widespread criticism that urged the Senate to hold an investigation.

Captain's Peak Resort stands amid the expanse of hills stretching into the horizon, a seemingly endless field of mounds, uniform in size and shape filling up some 14 thousand hectares. A wonder of nature, the hills have been recognized by the UNESCO, including it in its network of Global Geoparks. Who would want to disturb such a magical place?

News in mainstream media caught up with more criticism, but coverage was stuck mainly in recording whatever officials and experts had to say in interviews and statements, leaving it to the public to decide what agency to hold accountable. It begged the question: If this was out there, how did journalists not take it up sooner? It seems that local media may have carried the news earlier but without any national news picking it up.

The Senate has so far held one hearing to investigate the construction. The controversy has led to other discoveries of such recreational sites mushrooming in another protected area in the country. Closer to home, resorts on the Marikina watershed were checked in March by GMA Integrated News' Saksi and TV5's Frontline Pilipinas.

Covering Captain's Peak

Since the Bohol resort broke news, media picked up the exchange of statements and some arguments among various local and national officials, a process of finger-pointing on the part of their agencies.

In an interview with Rappler on March 10, Captain's Peak's administrator, Julieta Sablas, revealed that the Office of the Mayor of Sagbayan gave them a business permit in January 2019, even with a missing document. "They did not ask if we complied with the ECC requirement," Sablas said in the interview.

In the same Rappler piece and the Frontline Pilipinas newscast aired on March 14, the mayor's office argued that they issued the resort a business permit because there was "regular presumption" that other agencies had already reviewed Captain's Peak's application.

On the same date, 24 Oras reported that the mayor's office also issued a building permit because they had clearance from the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB). The same report said the Bohol provincial government had already notified the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) about the resort in August 2023, but the DENR had taken no action.

On March 13 and 14, coverage referred to the statement of the DENR, explaining why constructions like Captain's Peak Garden & Resort were allowed in protected areas: "… the rights and interests of private landowners who acquired titles prior to the declaration as protected areas will be recognized." However, DENR also said that the use of land and its development may be subject to regulation and thus restricted. This involves the obligation to secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate, which is required for environmentally critical projects.

Rappler recalled in its timeline on March 18 that securing ECC was an obligation based on a 2018 PAMB resolution.

On March 14, media reported the closure of the resort after the mayor's office revoked its franchise. DENR issued a "cease and desist order" on the same day.

Not just in Bohol

The controversial resort in Bohol has counterparts closer to home. GMA Integrated News' Saksi and TV5's Frontline Pilipinas checked the construction of resorts in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape in Rizal. Their reports on March 20 and 21, respectively, counted at least 11 illegally-constructed resorts in the area, exposing yet another failure of government the limits for environmental protection.

Unregulated, these resorts were operating without business permits or even land titles, according to barangay officials. In 2021, DENR issued a "cease and desist order" to close down the resorts. But the reports showed them open for business.

No other media organization picked up the illegal construction of resorts in the Marikina watershed and so far, no other media have followed up on the issues and concerns reported, in the two programs.

Both programs went beyond official statements and views, featuring the issues discussed by an environmental advocate. Billie Dumaliang, advocacy director of the Masungi Georeserve Foundation, called attention to the damage to the environment caused by these resorts; not the least, the cutting down of trees to make space for buildings and swimming pools, producing trash and garbage from their operation, and the long term impact these have on the watershed.

The Chocolate Hills and Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape were declared protected sites through Proclamation No. 1037 in 1997 and

Proclamation No. 296 in 2011, respectively. While the government maintains departments and agencies to protect and preserve these areas, these have been shown to fail miserably, at times even proven to take part in the degradation of these lands.

The wonders of nature are there for a reason, connecting us to earthly wonders that serve as a balm, and the experience of beauty and majesty that helps us overcome existential ills. More directly, watersheds demonstrate the capacity of Mother Earth to renew the resources essential to human life.

Media's work is clear as their responsibility includes stewardship. Journalism involves the protection of nature's patrimony. Through their news reports, journalists can promote public awareness of the role of each citizen to protect these sites or face collective peril. Journalists must do their part to strengthen the guardrails of public good.