Brown to green: Trees ruin image of Chocolate Hills?

TAGBILARAN CITY , Philippines  - Environmental protection and tourism initiatives clash anew, this time, concerning the trees that grow on the world famous Chocolate Hills, which some tourists say defeat the concept of "chocolate."

Provincial officials said some tourists have complained that several hills have lost their grandeur as "chocolate" hills because they have become green due to the trees that have covered the surface. The trees said to have covered the grass that turns brown, especially during summer, giving the 1,776 clustered hills the brown color and eventually earned them the name Chocolate Hills.

Green hills are not what visitors expect to see, the tourists reportedly said.

This concern prompted the Protected Area Management Board to convene last week to discuss options in going about the concern. One suggestion was to cut the trees that cover 80 percent of a hill's surface.

However, this reportedly contradicts the greening program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In fact, one of the hills was named "Factoran Hill" after former Environment secretary Fulgencio Factoran Jr. who initiated the tree-planting at the Chocolate Hills during his stint with DENR from 1987-1992.

Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto himself issued a memorandum for all barangays in the province to plant 25 trees each simultaneously on June 25 in observance of Arbor Day. Chatto also said that the Capitol-initiated Family Day in September will be highlighted by a tree-planting activity. The areas where the trees will be planted will be identified by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Nestor Canda.

The province targets to plant trees on 1,950 hectares by yearend. —/JMO