BAGUIO CITY — The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Pangasinan suspended Urdaneta City Mayor Julio F. Parayno III for a year.
Under Provincial Resolution numbered 958-2024 passed this week, SP members unanimously adopted and approved an earlier ruling of the SP Committee on Good Government and Accountability of Public Officers, Justice and Human Rights penalizing Mr. Parayno III for violating two provisions of the Republic Act (RA) 11032, the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
The SP though ruled that the mayor was not guilty of violating the Local Government Code of 1991, under RA 7160.
This stemmed from his refusal to issue a business permit to REVM Tiposu Poultry Farm, Inc. in 2021, which the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said is in violation of RA 11032. This prompted the Pangasinan SP Committee on Good Government and Accountability to endorse his 90-day preventive suspension on August 2024, approved by Governor Ramon V. Juico III on August 8, 2024.
Mr. Parayno III, however, said there is no such thing as a year suspension (on him), “in fact he assumed already his post last Thursday” after serving his earlier preventive suspension.
Just last September, he was also embroiled in another controversy after a videographer of the Pangasinan Information and Media Relations Office (PIMRO) filed a case for slapping him. — Artemio A. Dumlao
