📷 Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort
PINATAWAN ng Office of the Ombudsman ng anim na buwan na preventive suspension si Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado at 68 iba pang opisyal kaugnay sa pagtayo ng resort sa Chocolate Hills.
Ang Chocolate Hills ay kinilala bilang kauna-unahang Unesco global geopark sa Pilipinas.
Ayon sa Ombudsman, pinayagan ang operasyon ng Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort sa Barangay Canmano sa bayan ng Sagbayan kahit walang Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) at Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas (SAPA) mula sa Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“The respondents acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith, gross inexcusable negligence and committed gross violations of the National Integrated Protected Area System Act of 1992 (NIPAS Act of 1992) and Expanded National Integrated Protected Area System Act of 2018 (E-NIPAS Act of 2018) when they remained adamant and continuously tolerated the operation and expansion of Captain’s Peak despite its lack of environmental clearances and permits,” sabi sa desisyon ng Ombudsman.
Giit ng anti-graft body, binigyan ang resort ng mayor, business, building at locational permits mula 2020 hanggang 2024 kahit walang permits at clearances mula sa DENR.
Nahaharap ang mga suspendido sa mga kasonggrave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, at conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
Suspendido rin kasama ni Aumentado sina Mayors Restituto Suarez III (Sagbayan), Antonino, Jumawid (Batuan), Elizabeth Mandin-Pace (Catigbian), Eugeniano Ibarra (Clarin), Norman Palacio (Bilar), Michael Doria (Sierra Bullones), Dionisio Neil Balite (Valencia) at Conchita Toribio-Delos Reyes (Carmen).
Iniimbestigahan din sina dating mayors Manuel Jayectin (Bilar), Simplicio Maestrado Jr. (Sierra Bullones), Maria Katrina Lim (Valencia), Calixto Garcia (Valencia) at Ricardo Toribio (Carmen), at Bilar Vice Mayor Ranulfo Maligmat.
Suspendido rin sina Ma. Victoria Abrera, regional director ng DENR-Environment Management Bureau; Paquito Melicor; DENR regional executive director; at Gilbert Gonzales, regional director of DENR-Central Visayas; Eugene Cabrera, regional director of the Civil Defense; at Joel Elumba, regional director of Department of Agriculture – Central Visayas gayundin ang mga barangay chairman ng Bilar, Carmen, Sagbayan, Batuan, Bilar, Dagohoy, at Clarin. ( ZIA LUNA)