Business establishments operating without required environmental permits in the Chocolate Hills protected area will not face immediate closure or demolition, officials said following an interagency meeting this week.
Gov. Aris Aumentado, who as former Bohol Second District congressman authored the law that created the protection framework, announced the decision after an Oct. 29, 2025, meeting involving the National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, provincial government and Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
The governor said operations will continue under a status quo arrangement while authorities work to help affected businesses comply with environmental regulations rather than pursue prosecution.
“The NBI wondered where the speculations about closures came from,” Aumentado said during the meeting at the provincial Capitol.
The Chocolate Hills fall under protection of the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018, which Aumentado shepherded through Congress during his tenure representing Bohol’s Second District.
The law requires businesses operating within designated protected areas to obtain Environmental Compliance Certificates from DENR.
Establishments in Batuan, Carmen, Bilar and Sagbayan received notices of violation for lacking the required certificates.
The enforcement action triggered issues about potential shutdowns in Boholano residents economically dependent on tourism to the iconic geological formation.
Sixto Comia, chief of NBI’s environmental crime division, confirmed his agency will not implement closure orders against non-compliant establishments while investigations continue.
“The NBI will just heed the directions set by the DOJ,” Comia said, adding that the bureau is conducting similar probes at protected areas nationwide, not just in Bohol.
Officials did not specify how long the status quo arrangement would last.
Aumentado said discussions have included possible amendments to the ENIPAS law and questions about its constitutionality, though he provided no details on who might challenge the statute he helped pass.
Batuan Mayor Emmanuel Tumanda said his administration has mobilized resources to help affected businesses, particularly those that received violation notices.
Each local government unit has implemented measures to assist establishments in meeting the law’s requirements for obtaining environmental compliance certificates, Tumanda said.
“For now those who have establishments at the protected area can rest easy or sleep well,” Aumentado said.
The NBI continues building cases based on DOJ recommendations to potentially prosecute alleged ENIPAS Act violations.
Investigators are focusing on establishments operating within protected boundaries without proper environmental clearances.