A CEBU City councilor is facing criminal and administrative complaints over allegations that he used supposed connections with a private insurance company to help secure a P26.8-million construction project, then demanded millions of pesos and threatened to disrupt the project if payments stopped.
Councilor Jose Lorenzo Retuya Abellanosa is the respondent in a criminal complaint for extortion and estafa filed before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Makati by representatives of Bumi Construction Development and Supply.
A separate complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman accuses Abellanosa of serious dishonesty, commission of a crime involving moral turpitude and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
The complaints stem from the Palmhavens Memorial Park-Bacolod Phase 2 project of United Coconut Planters Life Assurance Corp. (Cocolife), which Bumi said it was awarded in September 2021.
Alleged influence, payments
In their joint complaint-affidavit, Bumi representatives Jose Marcelo Bumanglag and Maria Melanie Bumanglag alleged that Abellanosa approached them in 2021 and claimed he had access to Cocolife’s senior management and could help secure the project for Bumi.
They said Abellanosa provided advance information about the project and positioned himself as a conduit between Bumi and Cocolife. Bumi later engaged him as a marketing consultant and was awarded the project on Sept. 30, 2021.
The complainants alleged that after the award, Abellanosa began demanding payments and warned that the project could be disrupted, interfered with or terminated if the payments stopped.
They cited Viber exchanges as evidence. In one exchange dated Sept. 13, 2021, Abellanosa allegedly responded to concerns about the bidding process by saying: “The BAC is ours.”
Another exchange dated Oct. 20, 2021 allegedly showed Abellanosa asking for P1 million and saying he had “worked hard” to ensure that the project went to Bumi.
The complaint alleged that Bumi eventually released a total of P26.8 million to Abellanosa or accounts designated by him. The payments reportedly included P8.3 million in cash allegedly handed over at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City on Oct. 19, 2021, and subsequent bank transfers.
One cited transaction was a P900,000 transfer to an account allegedly belonging to Abellanosa on April 7, 2022.
The complainants said the payments were supported by bank records, agreements, messages and other documents attached to the complaint.
Councilor denies influence
The complainants also pointed to Abellanosa’s counter-affidavit in an earlier estafa case filed by Bumi in 2024.
In the counter-affidavit dated June 25, 2024, Abellanosa allegedly denied claiming that he could guarantee the award of the Cocolife project. He described his role as limited to informing Bumi about an upcoming bidding opportunity and providing assistance during the bidding process.
The complainants, however, alleged that his statements were false and contradicted by the Viber exchanges and payment records.
They cited these alleged false statements as the basis for the separate administrative complaint before the Ombudsman, arguing that they showed serious dishonesty and conduct unfit for an elected public official.
Probe underway
The latest criminal complaint, docketed as NPS XV-05-INV-26F-3940, identifies the offenses as extortion and estafa under Article 315(2)(a) of the Revised Penal Code.
The Makati City Prosecutor’s Office subpoena directed Abellanosa to submit a counter-affidavit and supporting documents and to appear for clarificatory proceedings scheduled for July 20 and July 27, 2026.
The subpoena said failure to comply would be considered a waiver of his right to present his defense and that the case could be resolved based on the evidence already on record.
The allegations remain unproven unless established by competent authorities or a court.
Abellanosa has yet to publicly address the latest complaint and the specific allegations raised by Bumi.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach Abellanosa for comment but received no response as of press time. / CAV