By JUNE S. BLANCO

BOHOL Gov. Erico Aumentado will leave for China tomorrow to represent the Chocolate Hills in the 2009 World Famous Mountain Conference in Mt. Lushan, Jiangxi, China.

The conference aims to promote practical cooperation, friendship and understanding among the famous mountains in the world, promote tourism and contribute to the protection of these mountains.

Aumentado has prepared a Powerpoint Presentation on the formation of the Chocolate Hills that were carved through time since around three million years ago from shallow-sea coral limestone through the action of the tide and the current, and later, as the sea receded and the budding formation emerged from the water, the wind and the rain.

The governor said this came out in the study of Dr. Eric Vos, a German scientist who extensively studied the uniformly shaped gently sloping rounded mounds dwarfed by the famous mountains of the other participants.

The visit here two years ago however of the head of the Mt. Lushan Administration Bureau that included a trek up the 214-step stairway to the observation deck for a panoramic view of the 1,268 hills caught his fancy and triggered the invitation.

The hills have been declared a national geographic monument by then President Fidel Ramos and protected under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act.

Limestone, engineers would say, are good quality materials for preparing the road base but Aumentado has standing orders against quarrying them and is quick to hale violators to court.

The Chocolate Hills already have “sister mountain” relationship with Mt. Lushan after Aumentado and then Jiangxi Gov. Huang Zhiquan signed a pact that covered tourism, agriculture, culture and the arts, education, mining and investments, among others.

Other participants include Mt. Lushan's sister geoparks and cities like Fuji Mountain and Martshima in Japan, Table Mountain in South Africa, Marble Arch Cave in Northern Ireland, Eisenwurzen in Austria, Blue Mountain in Australia, Lesvos, Patrifield in Greece, Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainer in America, Arapipe Geopark in Brazil.

Ambassadors, consuls, governors, mayors and other officials have confirmed their attendance to the conference that will be covered by some 150 foreign and Chinese media.

Rounding up Aumentado’s delegation are Romulo Tagaan, executive assistant and head of the Bohol Employment and Placement Office and June Blanco, information office.