Upon recommendation of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources and pursuant to the powers vested in me by law, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, do hereby amend Proclamation No. 1037 dated July 1, 1997, which established the Chocolate Hills National Monument (CHNM) situated in the Municipalities of Carmen, Batuan, Sagbayan, Bilar, Valencia and Sierra Bullones, Province of Bohol, with more or less 1,776 hills, by excluding all alienable and disposable lands, flat and rolling lands below 18% in slope from the coverage of CHNM subject to actual ground delineation; Provided that those lands 20 meters from the baseline of every hill outward shall be retained as part of CHNM to serve as draw back.

The Technical Description of the CHNM is hereto attached as Annex A and which forms part of this Proclamation. The areas and technical description under this Proclamation are subject to actual survey and delineation on the ground for which additional funds shall be requested from and provided by the Department of Budget and Management.

All areas excluded under this Proclamation shall be reverted to their original status and may be disposed of in accordance with pertinent laws, rules and regulations.
Regardless of the existence of prior private rights, no activity of any kind which will alter, mutilate, deface, or destroy the hills, including but not limited to quarrying, shall be allowed.

The approved and/or proposed comprehensive land use plan of the municipalities in which the hills of CHNM are located shall be revised to make it consistent with this Proclamation. In the same manner, the Protected Area Management Plan for CHNM shall take into consideration the municipalities' comprehensive land use plans.

CHNM shall be under the administrative jurisdiction, supervision and control of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which shall coordinate with other national government agencies and local government units with the objective of maintaining and protecting the chocolate hills natural features for tourism, scientific, educational and recreational purposes.

All proclamations and other existing issuances inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

Done in the City of Manila, this 26th day of February, in the year of Our Lord, two thousand and three.


By the President:

(Sgd.) ALBERTO G. ROMULO
Executive Secretary