1 month ago
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URDANETA CITY — The mayor here continued to hold office despite a Malacañang order suspending him and the vice mayor for 12 months after they were found administratively liable for grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority.
In a post on social media on Monday, Mayor Julio Parayno III said he did not receive any suspension order because he was on leave when the order was served on Jan. 7.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed the order on Jan. 3 suspending Parayno and Vice Mayor Jimmy Parayno.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Office 1 implemented the suspension order.
"I did not receive the suspension order because I was on sick leave," said Parayno during a flag-raising ceremony.
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Parayno's suspension stemmed from an administrative complaint filed before the Office of the President by then Liga ng mga Barangay President Michael Brian Perez against the mayor and the vice mayor in October 2022.
In his speech, Parayno quoted Bersamin as saying that the executive secretary did not know that he signed Parayno's suspension order.
In a social media post, Gov. Ramon Guico III belied Parayno's claim that he was on leave from Jan. 7-21.
Guico said that he did not approve Parayno's application for vacation leave because pursuant to a DILG memorandum, Parayno had to comply first with administrative requirements.
One of these requirements, he said, is the submission of the duly notarized sworn statements that there is no administrative and/or criminal case filed against him which must be attached to the duly filled-up application for leave form.
"As per records of this office, there is an administrative case filed against you before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Pangasinan docketed as SP Administrative Case 2024-01, which is pending implementation of suspension order against you," Guico said in a letter to Parayno.
Guico then directed Parayno to comply with the administrative requirements and asked him to submit to his office a duly notarized sworn statement attesting that there is no other pending administrative case or criminal case against him, a duly notarized oath of undertaking due to pending cases, and a clearance from money and property accountabilities.
Instead of complying, Parayno submitted on Jan. 10 an application for sick leave from Jan. 7-21 at the Governor's Office.
But Guico said he did not receive it because Parayno had to comply first with the governor's request for him to submit the valid requirements for his application for vacation leave.
"In short, suspended Mayor Parayno does not have proof that his application for sick leave is approved," said Guico.
Last October, the SP suspended Parayno after he was found guilty of violating Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
