NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – Investors at the newly-opened Manapla Port filed graft complaints on Wednesday, March 5, against four Land Bank of the Philippines officials and employees over the non-release of a P180‑million loan approved in 2023, according to documents submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman‑Visayas in Cebu.
The two‑page complaint from the Manapla Port Management, Stevedoring and Arrastre Corporation named the bank officials and employees: Maria Luisita Chiu, assistant vice president and head of the LBP Negros Occidental North Lending Center in Bacolod; Allan Bisnar, vice president of LBP‑Central Visayas in Cebu City; Renato Brillantes, an accountant at LBP Negros Occidental; and Francisco Jubelag, a loan officer.
The complaint alleged that the four violated the anti‑graft and corrupt practices law and engaged in conduct prejudicial to the interest of public service by allegedly withholding the loan intended to fund the construction of the private port in Barangay Punta Salong, Manapla in Negros Occidental.
MPSA said that despite receiving a notice of loan approval on October 23, 2023, the firm failed to secure the P180‑million loan. The port opened to the public on February 1.
The bank, however, attributed the delay to MPSA’s alleged failure to submit a duly-approved foreshore lease agreement (FLA) for the area occupied by the port.
The FLA, which is a crucial document issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, had not been provided, resulting in the lapse of the one‑year validity period of the loan agreement since its approval last October.
At a press conference on Thursday, March 6, MPSA lawyer Rey Gorgonio said the bank erred in requiring the submission of the FLA prior to releasing the loan because it was listed among the requirements for the post‑construction report rather than for pre‑construction.
He noted that the port itself remains incomplete, with an adjacent yacht club still under construction.
Records indicate that MPSA’s loan application was submitted to LBP in January 2022 and a loan agreement was signed in October 2023.
MPSA executives said they had expected the loan’s release on March 3, 2024, but it did not happen. The notice of approval expired in October 2024.
Gorgonio said the MPSA was no longer interested in pursuing the loan, but stressed that they were compelled to file criminal and administrative complaints in the interest of justice because they saw what happened as a “sabotage.”.
“Actually, we are not after compensation. What we want is justice,” he said.
MPSA president Alfredo Luis Sarrosa said the company spent more than P60 million for the port’s construction, including the required equity of P20 million.
“Since we don’t have any choice now, we will continue spending our personal money to finish it, and let the port operations be started as scheduled on April 1,” Sarrosa said.
The Manapla port is seen as a key boost for the region, with potential to drive tourism and support the sugar industry in Negros and the Panay Islands. Officials expect the project to generate significant annual tax revenue and create jobs for locals in Manapla, Cadiz, Sagay, and Victorias.
Rappler went to LBP Negros Occidental on Galo Street in Bacolod City on Thursday, to seek comments from Chiu and Brillantes, but they were on leave, and no bank representative was authorized to speak about the complaint. – Rappler.com