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[FrankPef]

New resort at protected natural wonder stirs fierce debate on conservation in the Philippines
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Nestled among the lush rolling terrain of the Philippines’ famed Chocolate Hills, the Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort offered travelers scenery that few hotels could compete with.

But now the resort has been temporarily shuttered after public outcry over what one legislator has called a “blatant abuse of our natural resources,” with the national senate debating whether to investigate how it came to be built in the protected beauty spot.

And it has become a lightning rod for anger as the country once again grapples with how to balance a booming tourism industry with safeguarding its ecological wonders.

Near the middle of the central island province, the Chocolate Hills are more than 1,700 conical limestone peaks that stretch as far as the eye can see, the grass-covered karst mounds turning brown in the dry season to resemble pieces of chocolate.

Only one similar hill configuration – in Indonesia’s Java – is known of in the world, according to UNESCO, which has placed the Chocolate Hills on its tentative list for world heritage status.

The hills were declared a protected area by then Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos in 1997, meaning authorities are bound by law “to protect and maintain its natural beauty and to provide restraining mechanisms for inappropriate exploitation.”

But images of the new resort among the hills have stirred anger and ignited debate over whether the Southeast Asian country is doing enough to safeguard the environment.

The backlash began earlier this month when a local travel influencer posted a promotional video on social media for the Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort.