Шоколадные холмы Филиппин: геология, туризм и споры об охране.

Geological formation in the Philippines

The Chocolate Hills (, ) are a geological formation in the Bohol province of the Philippines. There are at least 1,260 hills, but there may be as many as 1,776 hills spread over an area of more than They are covered in green grass that turns into a chocolate like brown during the dry season, hence the name. They are featured in the provincial flag and seal to symbolize the abundance of natural attractions in the province. They are in the Philippine Tourism Authority's list of tourist destinations in the Philippines;

The Chocolate Hills form a rolling terrain of haycock shaped hills—mounds of a generally conical and almost symmetrical shape. With an estimated 1,268 to 1,776 individual mounds, these cone shaped or dome shaped hills are actually made of grass covered limestone. The domes vary in size from high with the largest being in height. One of Bohol's best known tourist attractions, these unique mound shaped hills are scattered by the hundreds throughout the towns of Carmen, Batuan and Sagbayan.

During the dry season, the grass covered hills dry up and turn chocolate brown.

Balancing their protection, resource utilization and tourism are the challenges faced by the Chocolate Hills. Before they were designated national geological monuments, some of the hills (about ) were classified as alienable and disposable or private lands such that they were titled to some locals. The declaration consequently caused some social unrest, resulting in almost simultaneous civil uprising, led by the long established New People's Army (generally described as Maoist guerrillas) establishing a new front, known as the Chocolate Hills Command. Even with their protected status, mining permits continue to be granted by DENR and local government units. A resort was seen on the Chocolate Hills, sparking criticism in March 2024. The DENR then ordered an investigation into the resort's compliance with the temporary closure order it issued on the resort in September 2023. The resort manager acknowledged that they had not received an Environment Compliance Certificate but received an endorsement from the Protected Areas Management Bureau. She also showed the title to the land on which the resort was built, which was issued a year before the Chocolate Hills were declared a protected area in 1997. The local government of Sagbayan, where the resort operates, said that it was unable to close the resort beforehand as it had not received the order from the DENR. Sagbayan Mayor Restituto Suarez III later revoked the resort's business permit on March 14. An investigation was launched into its operations by the House of Representatives with ACT CIS Partylist Representative Erwin Tulfo, who compared the resort to an eyesore and a "wart" and noticed that there are two other resorts built on the Chocolate Hills. A DILG task force was formed on March 18 to recommend charges before the Office of the Ombudsman. The local government led by Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, Sagbayan Mayor Suarez, and 2nd District Representative Vanessa Aumentado met to investigate the culpability and it was agreed that "Captain’s Peak should remain closed while the issue was not yet resolved."

One of the largest earthquakes to hit Bohol struck the island at 8:12 a. m. (PHT) on October 15, 2013. The center of the M7.2 earthquake was near Sagbayan, Bohol. Due to the earthquake, a portion of one of the hills gave way and the Chocolate Hills' viewing deck was destroyed. In October 2018, the Provincial Development Council’s (PDC) Executive Committee proposed in funding for the repair work, and restored the viewing deck and the surrounding facilities, including the pathways, parking space, water features, trellis, stairs, ramps, food court, museum, activity center, lamp posts, signages and landscaping works.

On April 30, 2024, two of the hills were burned in a grassfire in Carmen after Bohol's heat index reached .

The Chocolate Hills inspired many legends, most of which revolve around their formation and figures of giants.

There were once two giants, each dwelling in the northern and southern edges of the island. During a rainy day when the ground became muddy, a hostile encounter between them prompted the worried people to vacate to other parts of the island, and the giant from the north instigated a mud throwing fight. After a while, the battle climaxed into a fist fight between the giants and ended with both knocking each other to the ground, and both died. What was left of the mud thrown that fell on the ground became the hills. This legend may also have been a local derivation of the larger precolonial Visayan creation myth of the Philippine islands.

A young and powerful giant named Arogo once fell in love with a human named Aloya, and lived together for sometime until Aloya became ill and died. Arogo mourned, and his tears fell to the ground culminating into mounds that would later become the hills.

The flatlands of Carmen were once a playground for giant children. One day they initiated a contest on who can bake the most mud cakes, gathering mud and "baking" them under coconut half shells flat on the ground. Before the contest could end, however, the children were called home. After a while, they returned to the area to witness their finished creations, and left them undisturbed out of admiration the baked cakes thus became the hills.

Outside of Bohol, similar karst hill ranges are found elsewhere throughout the Philippines in the interiors of Siquijor and Cebu, southestern Leyte, along the western coast of Guimaras, the northwestern tip of Masbate, and in the Bicol region comprising southern Albay and western Sorsogon.