Palawan board orders preventive suspension of Narra town mayor

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY –– The provincial board of Palawan, acting as an adjudication body, ordered a 60-day preventive suspension of farmer-turned-mayor Gerandy Danao in Narra town for administrative charges.

In a 13-0 vote, with one abstention, the 10-page preventive suspension order was served by the Provincial Legal Office (PLO) on Tuesday afternoon, after the Narra municipal council, led by Vice Mayor Crispin Lumba Jr., filed administrative complaints against the town’s chief executive.

The suspension was supposed to start upon receipt of the order, but Danao’s camp refused to receive the document.

Danao was facing three administrative cases filed on May 25 by the municipal council for “grave misconduct,” “gross negligence,” and his “conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service.”

The grave misconduct complaint was anchored on the permit Danao had allegedly issued to the cockpit arena in Barangay Antipuluan, which was without the approval of the local Sanggunian.

The municipal council also pointed out that he allegedly failed to prepare and submit the Executive Budget for 2020; and failed to efficiently enforce and implement Municipal Ordinance No. 2020-976, an ordinance appropriating about P9.8 million to buy equipment and facilities in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) threat.

The Sanggunian Bayan also pinpointed Danao’s mismanagement that subsequently resulted in the “decrease in the productivity” of the Narra Municipal Water System.

Danao has yet to respond to multiple attempts for an interview as of posting time.

LZB