The Bohol Provincial Legal Office has defended Governor Aris Aumentado against allegations of illegal vehicle use, saying that the contested 4×4 pickup (Nissan Navara) was only temporarily borrowed, according to official documents released Thursday.
In a counter-affidavit obtained by The Bohol Tribune, Aumentado denied any involvement in the alleged vehicle scandal that sparked complaints from Provincial Board Member Verna Mae B. Maglasang before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
The case, filed under docket numbers OMB-V-C-SEP-24-0159 and OMB-V-A-SEP-24-0179, accuses Aumentado of illegal use of public funds and conduct prejudicial to service interests regarding a vehicle with plate number F5W012.
“The assignment of motor vehicles is exclusively within the domain of the Vice Governor,” Aumentado stated in his counter-affidavit, referring to the late Vice Governor Dionisio Victor Balite, who passed away on July 17, 2024.
The governor maintained that any temporary vehicle use was coordinated through proper channels.
“I requested VG Balite if my office could temporarily use any of the available motor vehicles in his office without specifying any particular unit,” he explained.
Provincial Legal Officer Handel Lagunay, speaking to Bohol media but clarifying he is not representing the governor in this case, said the complaint has become “moot and academic” as Boniel has since received her own government vehicle.
Documents show Boniel was assigned a vehicle with plate number SKY 366 as early as November 23, 2022.
Additionally, on September 6, 2024, she received another motor vehicle following proper turnover procedures.
The counter-affidavit also addresses allegations of harassment after Boniel demanded vehicle access.
The complainant cited “non-renewal of job order field personnel” and withholding of funds allocated for board members as forms of retaliation.
However, Aumentado’s legal team argued that the hiring and renewal of job order workers “is not a ministerial or perfunctory duty” and requires consideration of public funds utilization.
They also noted that certain fund allocations mentioned in the complaint are “foreign to the nature and function of the legislative department.”
The case shows tensions within Bohol’s provincial government even before Vice Governor Balite’s death.
The vehicle in question has since been returned to the Provincial General Services Office per Property Return Slip dated July 25, 2024.
“Complainant failed to show how my action or inaction falls within the ambit of Section 3(e) of RA 3019 because no proof is given I acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or inexcusable negligence,” Aumentado said in his defense.
The governor faces separate allegations from a watchdog group regarding his conduct during a preventive suspension period, which Lagunay dismissed, stating Aumentado only entered the Capitol during Balite’s wake and never signed official documents during this time.