Mangaldan Mayor Orders Cop to help Suspend Village Officials

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN – Due to an earlier memorandum to preventively suspend the village chief and a councilwoman in this town, Mayor Bona Fe de Vera-Parayno ordered the chief of police (COP) here to ensure the implementation of the suspension.

Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe de Vera-Parayno officiates a wedding rites
among her constituents.

In a memorandum sent to Police Supt. Jackie C. Candelario, this town’s COP, Mayor Parayno said she wanted to see Candelario strictly comply with the directive.

“We were informed that to date the preventive suspension order is not being observed by Punong Barangay Joselito G. Quinto and Barangay Kagawad Melinda P. Morillo of Barangay Poblacion, Mangaldan, Pangasinan,” the mayor wrote.
The memorandum was dated October 16 this year.
 In September 20, 2014 the mayor wrote Quinto and Morillo, the No. 1 village councilor, a memorandum for their preventive suspension.
“In view of the Sangguniang Bayan Resolution No. 2014-83 dated September 18, 2014, a copy of which is hereto attached, recommending for your preventive suspension Administrative Case No. 01-2014, where you are impleaded as respondent; and pursuant to Section 63 and 64 of the Local Government Code (RA 7160), you are hereby preventively suspended for a period of sixty days (60) effective upon receipt hereof”.
The mayor said on that memorandum that the suspension is not a penalty.
“While you can you cannot draw your salaries in the meantime, the same and all other benefits withheld during such suspension shall be paid in full to you upon your exoneration”.
But according to the consultant of the mayor, who asked not to be identified, the duo could not be found every time the police served the September 18 suspension.
Quinto and Morillo through their lawyer Joseph Emmanuel Cera filed a civil action prohibition/injunction with prayer for the issuance of a status quo ante order against Mayor Parayno and others seeking the issuance of a TRO on the mayor’s issuance of a preventive suspension order.
The TRO hampered the mayor to serve within the 20 days from the date of its issuance (TRO) any suspension to the respondents.
With the 20 days over, the October 16 memorandum of preventive suspension against Quinto and Morillo made No. 2 Brgy. Council Woman Naomi Fabia, the wife of Municipal Councilor Alberto Fabia serves as acting Brgy. Chairman in the 60 days suspension of Quinto and Morillo that would end on the middle of December this year.
The administrative case of Quinto and Morillo ensued from their issuance of business permits with corresponding fees for establishments even without an approved barangay ordinance.
The mayor claimed it was not within the duo’s jurisdiction to issue such permits and therefore committing illegal exaction.