Palace suspends Urdaneta City Mayor, Vice Mayor for a year

BAGUIO CITY (January 8, 2025)— Malacanang suspended Urdaneta City, Pangasinan Mayor Julio F. Parayno III and Vice Mayor Jimmy D. Parayno, the mayor’s cousin, for a year over grave misconduct and grave abuse of authority stemming from their earlier erroneous decision to remove a barangay chairman then sitting as an ex-official member of the town’s Sangunniang Panlungsod (SP) in 2022.



To implement the administrative suspension, the interior department in the Ilocos Region on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, released an order against the Paraynos stating the suspension’s immediate effectivity.

According to the Office of the President, the suspension stemmed from the complaint of Barangay Chairman Michael Brian M. Perez on October 28, 2022 against the the mayor and the vice-mayor after the latter was placed under indefinite suspension on June 15, 2022 Perez on the basis of a manifesto seeking his removal from being the President of the Liga ng mga Barangay (LnB) and ex-officio of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Urdaneta. 

Perez though sought clarification from the national president of the LnB, the provincial Board of Pangasinan and the DILG where both the LnB and the DILG found the suspension erroneous. 

The LnB still recognized him as the Urdaneta LnB president while the DILG stated that Perez suspension has no legal basis.

Despite the national LnB and DILG’s clarifications, the vice-mayor refused to recognized him as an ex-officio member of Urdaneta SP and refused to allow him to participate in their regular session on October 5, 2022. 

Perez also found out that another village captain was voted in place of him, then the SP officially recognized his replacement and the mayor who was present that time insisted he respected the election of his replacement.

On March 2, 2023, the OP directed the DILG Region I to probe and on December 26, 2024 reported to the OP, “After a thorough evaluation of the case, this Office agrees with the DILG and finds Mayor Parayno and Vice Mayor Parayno liable for Grave Misconduct and Grave Abuse of Authority.”

The OP on January 3, 2025 ordered the Paraynos be suspended for a period of six months for each offense for a total of 12 months or one year. "...provided that the penalty shall not exceed their unexpired term.”

DILG Region 1 handed out the suspension against the Paraynos, who have remained indisposed as of press time, on Tuesday.