URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan – The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal from government service of Urdaneta City Mayor Julio “Rammy” Fernandez Parayno III, Vice Mayor Jimmy Dereje Parayno, and six city councilors in a consolidated decision underscoring the consequences of defying a presidential suspension order.
City officials received the decision, dated April 15, 2026, only on Thursday. It found the mayor and vice mayor administratively liable for grave misconduct, while the six members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod were found liable for gross neglect of duty.
The case stemmed from events following a 12-month suspension order issued by the Office of the President in January 2025 against the city’s top two officials. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) attempted to serve the order, but staff reportedly refused to receive the documents, and the vice mayor’s office was found locked and chained. Despite the suspension, the mayor and vice mayor continued performing official functions, including issuing memorandums and signing checks.
The six councilors—Franco Paolo Del Prado, Warren Andrada, Aurelio Agsalud, Franklin Villanueva, Jhan Hero Sumera, and Alfonso Miguel Del Prado—were penalized for refusing to assume their designated roles as acting mayor and acting vice mayor, and for evading service of DILG designation orders. The Ombudsman cited a Regional Trial Court ruling that upheld the validity of the substituted service conducted on January 7, 2025.
Aside from dismissal, the officials face cancellation of civil service eligibility, perpetual disqualification from holding public office, disqualification from taking civil service examinations, and forfeiture of retirement benefits. The Ombudsman dismissed the alternative charges of grave abuse of authority and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against the mayor and vice mayor.
Liga ng mga Barangay President Michael Brian Perez filed the complaints after Mayor Parayno removed him from his post. A close aide of the mayor said a turnover is expected on Monday, October 19, with Councilor Blesildo Sumera set to assume the mayoralty and Councilor Rio Esteves the vice mayoralty. The aide added that the respondents are likely to file a motion for reconsideration, arguing the penalties were excessive.
The Ombudsman’s decision sends a clear signal that local officials cannot ignore lawful suspension orders, even as the respondents prepare to contest the ruling.
This article was drafted with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team. The primary sources are the Ombudsman decision as reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Daily Tribune. Readers are encouraged to verify details against the official Ombudsman issuance.
