Sagbayan mayor revokes Captain's Peak Resort permit for violating protected zone

The Office of Sagbayan Mayor Restituto Suarez III revoked the business permit of Captain's Peak Resort on Thursday, March 14, after it was revealed that the resort had been built within a protected zone of the Chocolate Hills in Barangay Canmano, Bohol.

Captain's Peak Resort closed its doors following the revocation and issued an advisory stating they would implement eco-friendly initiatives during their closure to enhance sustainability.

The resort faced a temporary closure order from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in September 2023 for operating without an environmental compliance certificate (ECC), which Sagbayan town government did not receive until recently.

Sagbayan Mayor Suarez acted on this information after learning about the TCO on social media, revoking the resort's permit effective as of Wednesday but served on Thursday.

The resort's administrator Julieta Sablas claimed they had obtained approvals from local officials despite lacking accreditation and received a business permit from Sagbayan Municipal Hall in January 2019.

Sablas mentioned that the resort was unaware of the DOT accreditation requirement, highlighting a compliance gap with tourism regulations mandated by Memorandum Circular No. 2019-17 issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.