Initially celebrated as a landmark investment in Bohol’s arts and tourism, the Banat-i Hill project promised theaters, museums, and amphitheaters to elevate the province’s cultural profile. Yet delays, missing clearances, and shifting political priorities turned the dream into controversy. Local officials now frame the suspension as a choice to “protect the city” rather than push through a divisive project, while critics warn it risks becoming a “ghost project” that wastes public funds. The debate reflects the tension between cultural ambition and governance accountability in Tagbilaran. (Contributed photo)
By DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Cajes-Yap announced this week she has requested city and provincial officials to designate two city hills as protected urban biodiversity zones, following a unified decision by provincial and national agencies to redesign a stalled regional cultural hub project.
The move came after a Nov. 11, 2025 meeting between the Bohol provincial government, the Department of Public Works and Highways Region 7, congressional representatives and city officials to address public issues about the construction of the Regional Cultural Hub on Mt. Banat-i in Barangay Bool, Tagbilaran City.
“As a mother and as your Mayor, I cannot ignore these warnings. We must protect our people before anything else,” Cajes-Yap said in a statement released Thursday, citing recent typhoons and flooding in nearby Cebu as catalysts for the decision.
The regional cultural hub, initiated under previous provincial and congressional administrations, has already consumed P134.9 million pesos in Phase 1 funding from DPWH Region 7.
The project’s total estimated cost stands at P6 billion pesos, according to estimates.
The Provincial Government of Bohol owns 5.18 hectares on Banat-i Hill, where contractor JA Achacoso Enterprise & General Services began construction.
However, DPWH Region 7 confirmed at this week’s meeting that no funding exists for project continuation in the 2026 National Expenditure Program or House General Appropriations Bill.
Gov. Aris Aumentado, Rep. Baba Yap and Mayor Cajes-Yap agreed the original plan will not proceed.
Instead, officials proposed transforming the completed Phase 1 structure into a climate-responsive public viewing deck, hiking area and open theater featuring panoramic views of Tagbilaran City, Dauis and Panglao.
The redesigned facility would be “open, inclusive, and accessible to all,” subject to review by concerned agencies, according to the mayor’s statement.
Banat-i Hill is not currently designated as a protected zone under national law.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources classified the area as alienable and disposable land on Nov. 14, 1927, under LC Map No. 268.
This classification means the land can be titled, owned and developed provided proponents comply with local government and national agency requirements, including building permits, zoning clearances and environmental compliance certificates.
DENR issued an ECC for the cultural hub project.
“There was no illegal act and no shortcut in the application of the Provincial Government or in the issuance of the building permit,” Cajes-Yap said, while citing the decision to halt expansion reflects “moral ascendancy to act when lives may be at risk.”
The mayor’s statement disclosed three other proposed projects in the Banat-i Hill vicinity:
— A Hall of Justice proposed by the provincial government on donated land, currently under discussion for possible relocation. No building permit has been approved.
— The Rose Ligason Subdivision by a private developer, with no approved building permit.
— A Diocese of Tagbilaran facility on 404 square meters, which received building permit approval Dec. 18, 2024, expiring in December 2025.
Cajes-Yap formally requested Vice Mayor Adam Jala, city councilors and Rep. Yap to pass an ordinance or congressional bill declaring Banat-i Hill in Barangay Bool and Elly Hill in barangays Manga, Tiptip and Ubujan as urban biodiversity zones.
Such designation would regulate development in these areas to ensure climate resilience, public safety and preservation of natural landscapes.
The mayor defended the issuance of the Phase 1 building permit under Section 302.4 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Presidential Decree 1096, the National Building Code, which allows permits for portions of buildings when plans do not cover entire structures. Multi-year, multi-phase projects are common for national government developments.
Rep. Yap did not include the cultural hub project in his 2026 congressional budget, recognizing potential environmental impacts on the city, according to the mayor’s statement.
The unified position among provincial, congressional and city officials marks a shift in approach to development on Tagbilaran’s hillsides as climate concerns intensify in the Visayas region.