It’s business as usual at Urdaneta City Hall
PARAYNOS: ONLY COMELEC RULE APPLIES
MORE than a month after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) served the one-year suspension order to Mayor Julio Parayno III and his cousin, Vice Mayor Jimmy Parayno, on January 7, the two city officials continue to occupy their respective posts and discharging their functions.
In an interview at his office at the old Urdaneta City Hall on February 12, the mayor told The Punch: “As you can see, I am still here signing vouchers and other official documents.”
He clarified that what was handed to him during a recent court hearing in Urdaneta City by DILG Regional Director Jonathan Lausen Jr. was an advisory for him to honor his suspension, but “I told him that if they have clearance from the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) I will follow the order”.
“It was just an advisory. Whatever threat they made, like filing a case against me, that’s not a problem. I will face it,” Parayno said.
He added that he will file an administrative case for violation of election laws against the DILG should it forces him to vacate his position.
Parayno also said while there is a law on succession, nobody among the councilors, all his party members, including the two ex-officio members, would be willing to assume as acting mayor and acting vice mayor.
He said everyone in the city council “are solidly behind our mayor and vice mayor” and pointed out that the DILG, also presented the same advisory to the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Civil Service Commission, but COA advised the city government to carry on with its operations until DILG gets the clearance from the COMELEC.
“I am signing the payroll of government employees and all are receiving their pay on time” he said, noting that this showed that the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of the Philippines, both depository banks of the city government, ignored DILG’s call to stop transactions with him as signatory.
Parayno further assured that he is ready to accept his suspension, but only on June 12 after the lapse of the election period set by the COMELEC. (Leonardo Micua)
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