By PIA-Bohol | 04:28 PM April 07, 2025
Settle among yourselves, or sue, but Capitol will have nothing of it.
This sums up the opinion of Bohol Legal Officer Handel Lagunay, over the raucous many believed to be politically motivated to paint an entirely different picture in the P88M Capitol purchase of P88 M lot, distancing itself from what could be an internal squabble among sellers and their assigned agent.
The lot was for the establishment of the proposed Bohol Convention Center in support of the province’s socio-economic development priorities.
Newspaper reports following the consummated purchase however alleged that the transaction was anomalous and controversial.
A newspaper claimed its initiated investigation surfaced questions on procurement protocols, that the transaction bypassed standard government procedures including mandatory appraisal and due diligent investigations.
The same paper could not present any proof of its claims.
ABOVE BOARD
Provincial Legal Officer Handel Lagunay maintains that the purchase of the P88 million land for the Bohol Convention Center in Danao, Panglao is lawful and above board.
The subject lot purchase is for Lot 4006, containing an area of 29,335 square meters, covered under Original Certificate of Title (OCT) No. 58565 in the name of Castor Dompor Jr.
Last November 27, 2024, Dompor Jr., executed a Deed of Conveyance, which transfers the land ownership to brothers Nathaniel Arbolente and Noel Arbolente.
The Deed of Conveyance was executed by Castor Dompor, Jr., and acknowledged before Notary Public Antonio Arabejo
After the conveyance, Arbolentes assigned Gemma Arbolente Cubar as their Attorney-in-Fact, as gleaned from the letter of governor Aumentado to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, dated December 6.
On December 10, 2024, the Arbolentes executed a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) on December 10, 2024, granting Mr. James Carpo Yu the authority to negotiate and sell the land on their behalf.
That same day, governor Aumentado requested the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to pass a resolution authorizing the governor to represent the Provincial Government to sign the Deed of Absolute Sale
pursuant to Sec 465 (b) (1) (vi) of the Local Government Code in relation to Sections 22 and 23 of the same law.
The governor also asked the SP to give him the authority to purchase the said lot offered for sale at P88,005,000 .
Immediately, a Supplemental Budget No. 6 s. 2024, P85,654,387.50 from the 20% Development Fund Capital Outlay was approved through Sangguniang Panlalawigan Appropriation Ordinance No. 2024-11 dated October 1, 2024 and the Annual Budget for calendar year 2025 contained an Approved Ordinance No 2024-20 dated December 10, 2024 P86,654,387.50, for this purpose.
The Commission on Audit, also certified in Bohol’s Balances of Appropriation, that’s some P85,654.387.50 has previously been earmarked in the Annual Budget for 2025 from the 20% development fund for Capital Outlay, for the procurement of land to support its socio-economic development priorities.
And because the lot purchase was under the laws governing real property purchases by governments, an initial appraisal had to be conducted by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) accredited independent appraiser especially for negotiated purchase, Bohol commissioned Land Bank of the Philippines to appraised the lot at P3,300 per square meter.
Earlier, the provincial government struck a negotiated price of P3000 per square meter, and because this is beneficial to the taxpayers’ money, Bohol adhered to the lower price, with concurrence from the Provincial Legal Office.
In Resolution No. 2024-1391, the SP authorized Aumentado to purchase the 29,335 square meter lot
in Barangay Danao in the amount of P88,005,00 and for the governor to sign the Deed of Absolute Sale for the Provincial Government.
Provincial Treasurer Eustaquio Socorin said Bohol would hand payment of 50%, the rest would be due upon title issuance, considering that the sales need the completion of necessary documents.
The Resolution was sponsored by Greg Crispinito Jala, co sponsored by Vierna Mae Boniel and Nathaniel Binlod, board members.
The initial 50% payment of P44,002,500.00 was released on February 28, 2025.
OTHER CLAIMANTS
The news of the juicy P88M sales triggered the surfacing of other claimants, characteristic of the usual double sales in Panglao lots.
Lot owner Nathaniel Arbolente, who has assigned an attorney-in-fact to deal the lot, suddenly forgot that he signed the SPA delegating a person to transact on their behalf.
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, the newspaper reports.
In fact, after the reports, Atty Lagunay claimed several individuals have come forward to claim as part-owners of the lot.
Lagunay also assured that Capitol would entertained claimants, listen to their side, and encouraged them to present documents backing their claims for evaluation.
Now, seeing that the issue hinges on the veracity of the SPA which Arbolente now dis-owns, opposition Board member Vincenzo Arcamo, issued a statement in radio interview that the sale could be nullified.
Arcamo who is a lawyer himself, noted that the SP approved the budget for the lot purchase—intended for a planned convention center—but asserted that [SP] had no further involvement after authorizing the funds.
Arcamo also forgot that the SP resolution No. 2024-1391 granting the authority to the governor, was also the same resolution that he signed as pro-tempore presiding officer of the SP in their December 17, 2024 regular session.
“The SP’s role was to approve the plan to buy a lot for the convention center. Beyond that, it was out of our hands,” Arcamo claimed.
Lagunay, seeing that the issue is now between the owners and the person whom they authorized to sell the lot, advised: If they could not agree among themselves, they can bring this to the courts to settle the issue among themselves.
