WORK-FROM-HOME OPERATIONS

TENSION was high at the Urdaneta City Hall early Friday morning, March 14, when a team from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) led by Regional  Director Jonathan Paul Lausen Jr., accompanied by uniformed police officers, arrived to enforce the Office of the President’s suspension order against Mayor Julio ‘Rammy’ Parayno III and Vice Mayor Jimmy Parayno, but the city’s top two officials did not report to their respective offices for the day.

The cops, led by P/BGen Lou Evangelista of the Police Regional Office 1, were mobilized after DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla issued a memorandum on March 13 ordering Leusen to restrain the Parayno cousins from ‘entering the premises of the entire City Hall Building and any of its satellite offices and extensions and discharge their functions.

In a post on the Police Regional Office 1’s official Facebook page, Evangelista maintained that the police remains non-partisan and their officers were deployed to provide security to DILG personnel as well as ensure peace and safety in the city.

Councilors Franco Del Prado and Warren Andrada, who by protocol are supposed to serve as acting mayor and vice mayor, respectively, did not report to their offices on Friday. The top two councilors are political allies of the Paraynos.

The suspension order from Malacañang was first served on January 7, but the mayor asserted this was not valid because neither he nor the vice mayor did not personally receive and sign the document.

Parayno reported back to work on January 12 after almost a week on sick leave, which was already the start of the election period. The Commission on Elections, however, has already issued a letter stating that the serving of the suspension order on January 7 was valid and does not require the poll body’s clearance.

As of Thursday, March 13, the Paraynos were still at their respective offices and performing their duties.

Mayor Parayno said on Friday that he opted to hold office in his home, maintaining that he will only abide by the decision of the Regional Trial Court where he and the vice mayor petitioned for the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the DILG from enforcing their suspension during the current election period, where they are both running for reelection.

They further sought that until their court petition is resolved, a status quo in Urdaneta must be maintained. (Leonardo Micua with reports from Ahikam Pasion, Eva Visperas)

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