Chocolate Hills losing grandeur?

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines —The tourism sector of Bohol has raised alarm on what it described as a seeming "lost grandeur" of the Chocolate Hills caused by mature trees now eclipsing the unique brown vegetation cover of the 1,776 mounds of this world-famous tourist destination.

Photos taken by tourists from the view deck in Carmen town showed a hill that no longer resembles the Chocolate Hills, the signature destination of Bohol, as shown in postcards or in the internet.

The grasses that turn brown during summer, like a panoramic cluster of chocolates from afar thus the name Chocolate Hills, have been replaced by the color of the canopies of mature trees.

Members of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) have earlier agreed to get a clearance from the DENR secretary to cut the trees that cover 80 percent of the surface area of the hills and restore the site's original and unique physical attributes that made it famous to the world.

In the action plan submitted to DENR Secretary Ramon Paje last June, the PAMB chaired by DENR regional executive director Maximo Dichoso recommended to cut the trees covering the surface area of the hills to revive the original face of the hills, but the secretary has yet to reply until now.

The PAMB has already resolved the dilemma of cutting the trees, which contravenes the DENR's greening program, and of saving Bohol's signature spot, which earned a nomination to the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World, but then any move has to wait for the DENR secretary's imprimatur.

Carmen town Mayor Conchita Toribio delos Reyes expressed disappointment on the continued delay of the "go signal" to cut these trees, while her office is being beleaguered by complaints from the public over the deteriorating condition of the Chocolate Hills .

Delos Reyes said she even shelled out P10,000 from her private company to jumpstart PAMB's plan to cut the trees. The mayor, who is also a member of PAMB, said she might go out of her way to have the trees cut even if she would have to face charges for it.

PENRO Nestor Canda warned that insisting on cutting the trees without clearance from the DENR secretary would be a violation of Executive Order 33 regarding the moratorium on cutting trees and of Republic Act 7586 or the NIPAS Law. He however admitted that this prohibition may not be applicable to planted trees.

The Chocolate Hills disturbing condition was discussed early this year and this cropped up again when Manila examiners of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas (KBP) came and found out noticeable "new face" of the world-renowned destination and no longer looked like its famous picture before.

Before the KBP observation, there were a number of feedbacks from tourists regarding the diminishing grandeur of Chocolate Hills, and these reports have reached some provincial officials.

The officials later referred the matter to the PAMB, resulting in several rounds of meetings to discuss the issue and come up with an action plan on how to address the concerns and the fear of losing the Chocolate Hills as the main tourist attraction of Bohol.

One of the hills was named "Factoran Hill" after former environment secretary Fulgencio Factoran Jr. who initiated the tree-planting at the Chocolate Hills during his stint from 1987 to 1992.