BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla has given Urdaneta City Mayor Julio Parayno III and Vice Mayor Jimmy Parayno ten days to comply with their suspension order, which was issued early last month.
During a news conference in Baguio on Wednesday, Remulla confirmed the deadline, stating, “I give them 10 days [from Wednesday].” He was in the city to meet with local officials and barangay leaders from Baguio and Benguet ahead of the midterm elections on May 12.
The suspension was issued on Jan. 3 by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, holding the Paraynos administratively liable for grave misconduct and abuse of authority over the removal of the Liga ng mga Barangay president from the city council in 2022.
Despite the ruling, the two officials have not stepped down, prompting the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to give them a final ultimatum last week.
Mayor Parayno maintained that he was not properly served the suspension order on Jan. 7, as he was on an official leave of absence. He also argued that the order should not take effect during the midterm election season.
Since no one from his office accepted the order, the DILG posted it on the doors of both the mayor and vice mayor’s offices.
On Feb. 4, Mayor Parayno shared a letter from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on his social media page. The letter stated that Comelec had not received any request for approval from Malacañang regarding the suspension.
Comelec regulations specify that “No public official shall, except upon prior written approval of the Commission, suspend any elective provincial, city, municipal, or barangay officer…from Jan. 12, 2025, to June 11, 2025.”
Parayno stressed that “it is not the decision of the suspension itself that is prohibited, but rather the implementation of it without prior approval of the commission.”
Although the Office of the President has declared the decision final and executory, the mayor stated that they would appeal the ruling before the Court of Appeals.
At a press briefing in Camp John Hay, Remulla emphasized his firm stance against “malfeasance”, a principle he upheld as Cavite governor before being appointed DILG chief by President Marcos.
He also outlined efforts to curb vote-buying and election-related offenses, including the government’s crackdown on private armed groups and militias. Authorities are particularly monitoring areas prone to election-related violence, such as Abra province, Ormoc City, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
