September 9, 2024 | 6:17pm
BAGUIO CITY — A videographer of the Pangasinan Information and Media Relations Office (PIMRO) sued a city mayor before the Office of the Ombudsman for slapping him and forcibly taking his video footage last month.
Jairus Bien Fernandez Sibayan filed criminal charges against Urdaneta City Mayor Julio Parayno III and other “John Does” for Violation of the Republic Act 4019 or the Anti-Graft Practices, slight physical Injuries, robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons, Slander and Slander by deed.
He also lodged administrative cases against the mayor for grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, conduct unbecoming of a public officer, gross immoral conduct and conduct prejudicial to the interest of public service.
The complaints stemmed from the Aug. 12, 2024 slapping incident when Sibayan was assigned by PIMRO to cover and document the service of the preventive suspension order against Parayno by Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III’s Executive Assistant lawyer Ronn Dale Beltran Castillo.
Parayno reportedly got irked when Sibayan was documenting their heated exchange with Castillo.
He then slapped Sibayan on his left face and even snatched his camera and pulled out its SD memory card.
Police came to the rescue and accompanied Sibayan to Urdaneta City District Hospital for medical examination.
Later that day, the victim was accompanied by Castillo to the police station to file complaints.
Parayno was slapped with 90-day suspension by the Pangasinan Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) after the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) found him violating the Ease of Doing Business law (RA 11032) when he refused to issue a business permit to REVM Tiposu Poultry Farm Inc. in 2021.
The SP on Aug. 5, 2024 adopted the report of the Pangasinan SP Committee on Good Government basing such report from ARTA’s reports endorsing Parayno III’s suspension.
The governor signed Parayno III’s suspension order on Aug. 8, 2024.
Sibayan alleged in his Ombudsman complaint that Parayno even uttered defamatory statements indicating his bosses “are smugglers and illegal miners”.
The videographer also recalled that after the unsavory statements, the mayor asked him: “Nagrerecord ka ba? Akin na tung camera mo!” (Are you recording? Give me that camera!) while pointing a finger at him.
The mayor also allegedly threatened Sibayan that he will destroy his camera if he will not surrender it to him.
Some city hall employees even reportedly tried to snatch the camera away from Sibayan, who struggled to protect his gadget.
The mayor then went to his back and slapped the left temporal part of Sibayan’s face causing him to be out-balanced and loosening hos grip on his camera.
When the camera was returned, there were already damages and the SD card missing, Sibayan claimed.
Sibayan’s complaint was received by Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City on Sept.6, 2024.
Pangasinan PIMRO head Dhobie de Guzman earlier condemned Parayno’s act, insisting his staff was only doing his job as a government videographer.
Parayno has remained indisposed despite efforts to reach out for his comment.
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