BY DAVE SUAN ALBARADO

A property owner named in last week’s The Bohol Tribune’s exclusive investigative report about an P88-million land acquisition by the Provincial Government has disputed the transaction ever took place.

In an email letter to the editors, Nathaniel Arbolente expressed surprise at being identified as one of the sellers in a December 23, 2024 land deal, sealed by Governor Aris Aumentado and witnessed by Junin Caberte, as reported by this newspaper.

The Bohol Tribune’s news article was based on a genuine copy of the Deed of Absolute Sale leaked by a Capitol job-order employee.

“For one, we have not sold to anybody about this lot,” Arbolente wrote in his correspondence with The Bohol Tribune.

Arbolente was responding to an investigative report by Tribune reporter Dave Suan Albarado, which claimed the provincial government, under Governor Erico Aristotle “Aris” Aumentado, had purchased a 29,335-square-meter property in Barangay Danao, Panglao from Arbolente and another individual identified as Noel M. Arbolente.

The original report cited a Deed of Absolute Sale allegedly obtained by the newspaper, which stated the P88,005,000 transaction was executed with Atty. James Carpo Yu acting as attorney-in-fact for the Arbolentes.

Arbolente has requested direct communication with the paper’s journalist to clarify the situation and “know the details of the transaction.”

The Tribune’s original investigation sent shockwaves and questions about procurement protocols, claiming the transaction allegedly bypassed standard government procedures including mandatory appraisal and due diligence investigations. 

The report also questioned the handling of capital gains tax obligations estimated at over P5 million.

According to the Tribune’s sources, the land was intended for a convention center development.

The Provincial Government has not issued an official statement addressing the reported transaction or Arbolente’s denial. 

Multiple attempts to reach Governor Aumentado’s office for comment were unsuccessful before press time.