By DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
Former Tagbilaran City Mayor Atty. Dan Neri Lim has accused Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado of misleading the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) regarding the sale of shares in Bohol Light Company Inc. (BLCI).
The controversy stems from a letter Aumentado sent to the SP, urging action on a notice of intention to sell BLCI shares from a private consortium led by SPC Power Corp.
In the letter, Aumentado reportedly stated that the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) had 60 days to respond to the offer, after which the consortium would be free to sell their shares to any third party.
Lim, a member of the Citizens for Good Accountable and Responsive Government (CGAR), characterized Aumentado’s statement as “misleading” and “massive disinformation.”
He argued that the Joint Venture Agreement governing BLCI does not allow the private consortium to sell its stake without consequences.
“The private consortium led by SPC Power Corp. has no power to bully the Provincial Government of Bohol to force PGBh to buy their stake or else they will sell it to anybody,” Lim said.
According to Lim, the Joint Venture Agreement stipulates that if the private consortium sells, conveys, transfers, or relinquishes its stake in BLCI, it would be grounds for terminating the agreement.
In such a scenario, the provincial government would need to end the joint venture and reprivatize BLCI through a competitive selection process.
Lim contends that Aumentado’s letter aimed to create the impression that if the provincial government couldn’t afford to buy the consortium’s shares, the consortium could sell to any buyer, including the Razon Group.
“This is very not true under the Joint Venture Agreement,” Lim said.
The former mayor praised SP members who challenged Aumentado’s assertions.
Board Member Benjie Arcamo reportedly raised concerns about adhering to the Joint Venture Agreement, while Board Member Mimi Boniel Maglasang objected to the governor’s submission, calling it confusing and incomprehensible.
In response to the situation, CGAR wrote to the SP, citing provisions of the Joint Venture Agreement that contradict Aumentado’s claims.
The group pointed out Article 13, which states that transferring the consortium’s rights in BLCI without prior written approval from the provincial government is grounds for terminating the joint venture.
Following CGAR’s intervention, SP issued a resolution directing Governor Aumentado to review the Joint Venture Agreement and take necessary legal action to protect the interests of the provincial government and the public.
Lim interpreted the SP’s resolution as a rebuke to Aumentado, suggesting it was a polite way of telling the governor to study the agreement more closely and that he couldn’t deceive the legislative body.
The former mayor argues that the SP resolution effectively orders Aumentado to terminate the Joint Venture Agreement due to the private consortium’s alleged violations.
Lim sees this as an instruction to halt the sale of BLCI to the Razon Group.
“Many in the private circle have thanked him and CGAR for spoiling the attempt to reprivatize BLCI without a public competitive selection process and without the government being involved,” Lim said.
He added that the discovery of Aumentado’s letter to the SP exposes the governor’s role in what Lim describes as a scheme to sell BLCI to the Razon Group without public bidding or government participation.
“The silence and inaction of the Governor to what is happening in BLCI will not earn him innocence because he wrote a letter that asserted something that is not true at all,” Lim stated.
The former mayor believes the SP resolution is the first step toward holding Aumentado accountable.
Lim suggested that the governor could potentially face plunder charges due to the alleged financial losses the provincial government might incur from the proposed sale.
CGAR, which includes Former Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco, Former Executive Judge Sucesso Arcamo, and Former Provincial Chief Prosecutor Macario Delusa, has been instrumental in bringing attention to the BLCI issue.
Lim noted that a fifth member, blogger Willy Ramasola, has distanced himself from the cause.
The controversy surrounding BLCI’s potential sale has generated questions about transparency in Bohol Capitol governance and the interpretation of existing agreements between the provincial government and private entities.
Governor Aumentado, who was recently suspended by the Ombudsman on charges of gross negligence related to preservation of the Chocolate Hills, has not publicly responded to the allegations as of press time.