Urdaneta gets new leaders after dismissal of mayor, vice mayor

CALASIAO, Pangasinan – Councilor Blesildo Sumera assumed the mayoralty seat of Urdaneta City on Monday after taking his oath of office on Friday.

Sumera’s ascension to mayor followed the Office of the Ombudsman’s dismissal of Mayor Julius “Rammy” Parayno and Vice Mayor Jimmy Parayno for “grave misconduct.” They defied a 2025 Palace suspension order that stemmed from the indefinite suspension of the president of the Liga ng mga Barangay. 

Vice Mayor Rico Esteves also took the oath of office last Friday, replacing Jimmy Parayno.

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READ: Urdaneta mayor, vice mayor, councilors dismissed by Ombudsman

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Their respective offices refused to receive Parayno’s suspension orders issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and later questioned their enforcement. 

The Ombudsman also dismissed six Urdaneta councilors in the same decision dated April 15, which City Hall received on Oct.15.

Sumera attended his first flag-raising ceremony as mayor on Monday, where he assured employees that their jobs were safe

“I will listen to everyone, whether low or high (ranking), which will be the basis of my decisions for the city,” he said.

Sumera said former Mayor Parayno is preparing to file a motion for reconsideration regarding his dismissal from office./coa