The Office of the Ombudsman has forwarded a second graft complaint against Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado to its Visayas office, this time in connection with the alleged anomalous purchase of a Panglao Island property worth P88 million pesos using public funds — and a separate controversy over the governor’s closure of whaleshark tourism businesses in the province.
Documents showed a 1st Indorsement dated March 26, 2026, bearing case number IC-OC-DEC-25 and signed by Atty. Karen S. Pato, Officer-in-Charge of the Ombudsman’s central office, transmitting the original records of the case — styled Emmanuel Ramasola vs. Erico Aristotle C. Aumentado, et al. — to the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas at the Department of Agriculture Regional Office 7 compound in Cebu City. The complaint record consists of 42 pages and 12 copies of the complaint-affidavit filed on Dec. 12, 2025.
According to a social media post by Willy Ramasola, the second complaint centers on the provincial government’s purchase of a Panglao property through an agent who allegedly had no authority or consent from the actual owners of the land to transact on their behalf — raising questions about the validity and legality of the P88 million-peso transaction.
The same complaint also challenges the governor’s issuance of a closure order against whaleshark tourism operators in the province, alleging the order was carried out without due process.
First case already forwarded in March
The second endorsement follows an earlier one dated March 3, 2026, in which a separate complaint in the same case series — consisting of 31 pages and nine copies of the complaint-affidavit — was transmitted to the same Ombudsman office.
That first complaint named Governor Aumentado alongside his wife, Bohol Second District Rep. “Vanvan” Aumentado, and other respondents, in connection with an alleged conflict of interest involving an arrastre company that secured cargo service management contracts in all major ports in Bohol.
Arrastre services — the handling and stevedoring of cargo at ports — are awarded through government procurement and represent a significant commercial interest in a province heavily reliant on inter-island shipping for goods and supplies.
The complaint alleged that the Aumentado couple held interests in the arrastre firm that benefited from those contracts, constituting a conflict of interest under applicable anti-graft statutes.
The forwarding of complaints to the Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas is a procedural step in the Ombudsman’s case routing process, transferring jurisdiction to the regional office as the matter falls within its territorial competence.
The endorsement does not constitute a finding of probable cause nor does it mean charges have been filed.
The Ombudsman will evaluate the complaints, may require counter-affidavits from the respondents, and will subsequently determine whether to file criminal or administrative charges before the Sandiganbayan or other appropriate bodies.
Governor Aumentado and Representative Aumentado had not issued public statements on either endorsement as of publication time.
Requests for comment from the Office of the Governor of Bohol were not immediately answered.