By DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado and members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan are facing criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman over an allegedly fraudulent land purchase worth P88 million pesos and accusations of abuse of authority.
Anti-corruption crusader Emmanuel “Willy” Ramasola filed a complaint-affidavit on Dec. 12 accusing the provincial officials of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Local Government Code, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials in connection with the controversial property acquisition and a separate executive order affecting whale shark tourism operators.
The complaint centers on the provincial government’s purchase of a 29,335-square-meter parcel of land in Barangay Danao, Panglao, covered by Original Certificate of Title No. 58565.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan authorized the acquisition through Resolution No. 2024-1391, and Aumentado signed a notarized Deed of Absolute Sale on Dec. 23, 2024.
However, the transaction has been disputed by the heirs of Francisco Arbolente, who claim rightful ownership of the property through their family’s tax declaration.
The heirs said they discovered the land had been transferred to Castor Dompor Jr., son of their relative Rosalinda Arbolente Dompor.
According to the complaint, Dompor denied in a sworn declaration dated June 4, 2025, that he executed any deed of conveyance or authorized representatives James Carpo Yu and Gemma Arbolente Cubar to transfer the property to alleged buyers Nathaniel and Noel Arbolente.
Ramasola’s complaint alleges multiple legal defects in the transaction, most notably that one of the purported sellers, Noel Arbolente, had been dead since Feb. 9, 2016 — nearly nine years before the Special Power of Attorney bearing his name was allegedly executed on Dec. 10, 2024.
The complaint also points to contradictions in the documentation.
A Contract of Agency dated Nov. 20, 2024, explicitly stated that agent James Carpo Yu was “not authorized to sign the Deed of Sale,” yet Yu allegedly signed the Contract to Sell on behalf of the sellers on Dec. 6, 2024.
Moreover, the complaint reveals the Deed of Absolute Sale was not signed by the buyer, rendering it legally defective under Philippine contract law, which requires mutual consent between parties.
“There being no perfected contract of sale, respondent Aumentado should not have allowed the disbursement of substantial payment from the public funds for the spurious sale,” the complaint says.
Ramasola accused the provincial officials of “palpable gross and inexcusable negligence” for failing to validate the authenticity of documents and verify the authority of the sellers’ representatives before approving the multimillion-peso transaction.
The complaint invokes Section 3(e) and (g) of Republic Act No. 3019, which prohibits public officers from causing undue injury to the government through manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence, and from entering into contracts manifestly disadvantageous to the government.
The complaint also cites a violation of Section 449 of the Government Accounting and Auditing Manual, which requires land purchases to be evidenced by a Torrens Title in the name of the Republic of the Philippines and mandates that accountable officers exercise reasonable diligence to ensure documents are genuine and that sellers have legal right to transfer ownership.
Whale Shark Tourism Controversy
In a separate charge, Ramasola accused Aumentado of abuse of authority for issuing Executive Order No. 10 on Feb. 3, 2025, which immediately halted whale shark interaction activities in Bohol without due process.
The complaint alleges the order violated the constitutional right against deprivation of property without due process and exceeded the governor’s authority by regulating municipal coastal waters, which fall under the jurisdiction of city and municipal governments under the Local Government Code and the Philippine Fisheries Code.
Ramasola cited a letter from Aumentado to Alburquerque Mayor Don Ritchie Buates dated Dec. 15, 2024, in which the governor acknowledged: “We understand there is no provincial coastal waters, but we are obligated to comply with the requirements of the above-mentioned statutes.”
The complaint suggests the executive order was motivated by political rivalry, noting the order “targeted Mayor Buates because he is a political enemy of respondent Aumentado.”
Mayor Buates issued a certification stating the provincial government has no jurisdiction within the territorial waters of Alburquerque, according to the complaint.
The complaint seeks criminal, civil, and administrative charges under multiple laws:
– Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) for causing undue injury to the government and entering disadvantageous contracts
– Republic Act 7160 (Local Government Code) for dishonesty, gross negligence, dereliction of duty, and abuse of authority
– Republic Act 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards) for neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to public interest
– Executive Order 292 (Administrative Code of 1987) for misconduct and abuse of power
The complaint invokes Article XI, Section 1 of the Philippine Constitution, which enshrines the principle that “public office is a public trust” and requires officials to manage public funds with care, integrity, and efficiency.
Ramasola is asking the Ombudsman to conduct a thorough investigation and hold the respondents accountable before the appropriate courts.
Attempts to reach Governor Aumentado and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for comment were not immediately successful.