TRENDING: The funniest memes about Chocolate Hills resort issue
While the controversial Chocolate Hills resort rightfully angered a lot of Filipinos, netizens still managed to find the humor in the situation.
After a vlogger's recent post about the now-infamous resort constructed in what's supposed to be a protected area in Bohol earlier this month, a wave of humorous memes started circulating.
Here are some of the funniest and wittiest entries that PhilSTAR L!fe has come across online.
On Facebook, a user shared an edited image of the popular resort with a scene from the online game Plants vs. Zombies.
The setting appears to be a fitting match for the specific online game where players utilize plants to combat zombies, this time in a swimming pool environment.
On X, a user shared an edited 200 Philippine Peso banknote featuring the iconic Chocolate Hills in the background, alongside a modified section showcasing the viral resort.
Meanwhile, a Facebook user jokingly proposed constructing the aforementioned resort at the base of Mount Mayon Volcano.
“Walang aalma sa inyo, mainit init pa yung swimming pool ninyo.” social media user wrote.
A netizen humorously argued that if a resort could be built there, why not other structures too? They showed a well-known mall that also seems to have been constructed at the base of the hills.
Content creator Christian Antolin, renowned for his comedic videos, seized the opportunity to weigh in on the hot issue. He shared his own entry, depicting a scene of a group outing at the viral resort, injecting his signature humor into the situation.
The resort became a hot topic on social media after a vlogger posted about it earlier this month. Social media users and lawmakers raised questions directed at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the provincial government of Bohol, asking why a resort was permitted to be constructed in a protected area such as Chocolate Hills.
Resort manager Julieta Sables, in an interview on TV5's Frontline Pilipinas, stressed that they were permitted to run the business, which has been operational since 2019.
The DENR issued a statement saying it placed a temporary closure order on the resort in September 2023. It also issued a notice of violation to the project proponent in January 2024 for operating without an environmental compliance certificate.
The local governments of Bohol and Sagbayan said they only learned about the DENR order after the issue went viral on social media.
Last March 14, the resort announced its temporary closure, citing “maintenance and environmental preservation efforts.”
Proclamation No. 1037 declared the Chocolate Hills a protected area, designating it as a National Geological Monument and a Protected Landscape.
Section 20 of Republic Act 7586, or an Act Providing for the Establishment and Management of Natural Integrated Protected Areas System, states that it's illegal to hunt, destroy, disturb, or merely possess any plants, animals, or products, dump any waste product, and alter, remove, destroy, or deface boundary marks or signs, among others.