CEBU CITY – Bohol Gov. Aris Aumentado assured that it will be business as usual at the provincial capitol despite his six-month suspension.
AUMENTADO (FB)
Aumentado made the assurance as he thanked provincial government workers and the Boholanos for supporting him.
"Magpadayon ang akong suporta sa mga kauban ug magpasalamat ko sa mga trabahador sa Kapitolyo ug mga katawhan sa kanunay nga gihatag nga suporta kanako (My support for my colleagues will continue and I want to thank capitol workers and the people for the continued support that they have given me),” Aumentado said.
Aumentado was one of the 69 government officials who were suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman over the alleged illegal construction of a resort within the Chocolate Hills in Sagbayan, Bohol.
Declared as a protected area in 1997 by then President Fidel Ramos, the Chocolate Hills natural monument is considered one of the World Heritage Sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
It is also one of the 17 geosites in the UNESCO Global Geopark Island Province and the first and only geopark in the Philippines which was declared in 2023.
Also suspended were eight incumbent mayors in Bohol as well as previous and present provincial officials, barangay captains, and regional directors of various government agencies.
While Aumentado is serving the suspension, Vice Gov. Dionisio Victor Balite will be the province’s acting governor while Senior Board Member Tita Baja will be the acting vice governor.
The governor urged his supporters to respect the decision of the Ombudsman.
As he complied with the suspension order, Aumentado said the complaint will be reviewed, adding that he would meet with other suspended officials to seek legal remedies.
Aumentado said he would not lose sleep over the sanction.
"Dili pod ko maulaw ani, kong unsa ning among giatubang nga hagit karon tungod kay dili ni tungod sa usa ka butang nga korupsyon kun dili mga butang nga nahitabo, o negligence sa ubang tawo nga nadamay lang 'ta (sa) isip usa ka gobernadora (I won’t be ashamed of this. Whatever we are facing right now has nothing to do with corruption but something that happened or negligence of some people and were just dragged into this being the governor),” he said.
Aumentado said the controversy is something that he just inherited as the controversial construction was done while he was still not the governor of the province. “This problem already existed before so we are just collateral damage,” he said.
The governor reiterated that he will remain committed to public service. "We will face this and God knows what’s inside my heart...the kind of service we give. What we have is clean governance,” he said.