Chocolate Hills new measures

What did Bohol and Carmen discuss on 21 October 2026?

Four things: trees that block the view, a review of the protected-area assessment, which hills to designate for ecotourism, and how entrance fees are collected and shared.

The meeting took place at the Governor's Office in Tagbilaran on Wednesday 21 October 2026. Governor Aris Aumentado led it, with Forester Wilson Henson, head of DENR-PENRO Bohol, and the mayor of Carmen, Conchita Toribio-Delos Reyes. Bohol Island News reported it the same day.

Carmen is home to the Chocolate Hills Complex, the main viewpoint on every countryside tour. The protected hills spread much wider, over about 14,145 hectares in Carmen, Batuan, Sagbayan, Bilar, Valencia and Sierra Bullones, under Proclamation No. 1037 of 1997.

Will trees be trimmed at the Chocolate Hills viewpoints?

It is a proposal. Visitors have said growing trees block the view, and the mayor of Carmen offered to trim or prune selected trees, with the owners' consent and within environmental rules, and to plant replacements.

Carmen has consulted researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Henson, for DENR, recommended reviewing the protected-area assessment before any long-term measure, and suggested regular maintenance for hills once they are designated for ecotourism.

For visitors the point is simple. The view from the deck is the reason you climb about 214 steps, and everyone at the table wants to keep it open. No date or plan has been set.

What came out of the 22 October 2026 consultation?

A public consultation was set for 22 October to help identify which hills could be designated for ecotourism. No decision on fees, hours or visitor rules has been published since.

Fees were the sharper topic. DENR-PENRO raised concerns about entrance-fee collection and a proposed revenue split, and Henson said DENR's share would help fund the Protected Area Management Board, ecotourism maintenance included. The governor pointed to what the province and Carmen have invested at the site. No amounts were mentioned.

Here is where each item stands:

Does anything change for visitors to the Chocolate Hills now?

No. Tours visit the Chocolate Hills Complex in Carmen as before, with the same climb of about 214 steps to the main deck and the fees paid the way your listing says.

The practical side stays the same. Panglao to the hills takes about 1.5 hours by road, and tours usually spend 30 to 60 minutes at the complex. Bring pesos: most shared tours list about ₱500 per person in entrance and environmental fees as paid on the day, per the listings, and a few tours include them. Our 2026 cost post lists which.

Go early or late for the softest light. The grass turns brown in the dry season, December to May, which is where the chocolate name comes from; from June to November the hills stay green.

Why are the Chocolate Hills under review?

Development inside the protected area. In March 2024 a resort called Captain's Peak, built among the hills in Sagbayan without an Environmental Compliance Certificate, went viral and was shut down.

The case put the whole protected area under the spotlight. DENR began looking at other structures, and the Inquirer reported 558 establishments under investigation for operating in the protected area without permits. Investigations at the Ombudsman followed.

On paper the protection is strong. Proclamation No. 1037 of 1 July 1997 declared 1,776 hills the Chocolate Hills Natural Monument, under DENR control, and banned quarrying and other damaging activities. In 2023 Bohol became the Philippines' first UNESCO Global Geopark, and the hills are part of it.

What is House Bill 831 on the Chocolate Hills?

A pending bill. In its amended form it would keep strict national protection for 642 hills instead of 1,776, rename the area the Chocolate Hills Geological Monument and shrink the buffer zone from 20 m to 5 m. It is still under debate.

The bill would also limit the coverage to Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Until a law passes, the 1997 proclamation and its 1,776 hills stand.

For a day trip it changes nothing. The deck at Carmen is the same deck, and the Chocolate Hills guide covers the visit itself.

A small group of up to 15 with a guide who explains the hills, then the tarsiers and the Loboc River.

★ 4.8 · 7 hours · from $31

Explore the small-group day with the Loboc River → Tour details

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