PUERTO PRINCESA CITY –– Mayor Gerandy Danao of Narra town in southern Palawan was ordered suspended for 20 months, after the provincial government here found him administratively liable for several offenses, including the issuance of an unauthorized permit that allowed a cockfighting arena to operate in his town.
Danao’s suspension order, signed by Governor Jose Alvarez, was served on Thursday afternoon by the provincial legal office.
The suspension order will take effect in October this year until May 2022.
Danao has yet to issue a statement, despite multiple attempts by the Inquirer to secure his comment.
However, the mayor’s spokesperson, Jojo Gastanes, affirmed that the decision was served at the mayor’s house in Narra and was received by his wife.
He said they were not surprised that the provincial board voted 13-0 for the mayor’s suspension.
The provincial board, acting as a quasi-judicial body, heard the administrative cases filed against Danao on May 25 by the municipal council for grave misconduct, gross negligence, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The complaint was anchored on the permit that Danao had granted to a cockpit arena in Barangay Antipuluan, which was issued without the approval of the municipal council.
The municipal council also pointed out that Danao allegedly failed to prepare and submit the executive budget for 2020 and failed to efficiently enforce and implement Municipal Ordinance No. 2020-976, a budget measure appropriating P9,864,598.24 for the purchase of equipment and facilities needed by the locality to effectively respond to the coronavirus disease threat.
The municipal council also accused Danao of mismanagement that subsequently resulted in an alleged “decrease in the productivity” of the Narra Municipal Water System.