GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 23 April)—Sultan Kudarat Gov. Pax Ali Mangudadatu has suspended the mayor of the capital town of Isulan for 15 months over three administrative cases filed before the provincial board.
Isulan Mayor Marites Pallasigue. Screengrab from the mayor’s Facebook page
Provincial administrator Jimmy Andang said on Monday that Mayor Marites Pallasigue was suspended without pay with the governor’s Administrative Order no. 012-2024.
Vice Mayor Arnold Armada took his oath on Tuesday as the acting municipal mayor, and was in turn temporarily replaced by municipal councilor Carlo Apiado.
The long period of suspension gives Pallasigue only a few days left to serve her term when she returns to office in June 2025.
Pallasigue’s suspension covers a six-month penalty for administrative case 16-01-2023, another six-month penalty for administrative case 16-04-2023, and a three-month penalty for administrative case 16-03-2023.
The order was signed by the governor on March 25 and takes effect immediately, Andang said in an April 18 letter to the mayor. The suspension will be served successively as per Resolution 112-2024 of the provincial board, Andang said.
Pallasigue has yet to respond to this reporter’s message asking for her comment about the matter.
The suspension order was received by the mayor’s office on Friday, April 19, said Pallasigue’s husband Dominador in a post on social media. Dominador was also a former mayor of Isulan.
On June 26 last year, Mangudadatu suspended Pallasigue for 60 days based on the recommendation of the provincial board.
The earlier suspension was also in relation to the three administrative cases filed in January and March 2023 against the mayor “for alleged negligence, dereliction of duty, irregularities in duty, and conduct harmful to public service.”
The administrative cases against Pallasigue stemmed from complaints filed by Armada, Apiado and town councilors Jenalyn Mejia, Moises Dolar, Marvin Dalanon, Darlene Lama, and several barangay chairpersons.
They blamed Pallasigue for the delay in the construction of a new municipal hall building. It was also alleged that she has not submitted copies of her executive orders to the office of the governor.
The Pallasigues are not known to be political allies of the Mangudadatu political family, who fielded candidates to challenge their group in Isulan during the 2022 elections.
Pax Ali is the son of Maguindanao del Sur Governor Mariam Mangudadatu and Suharto, Sultan Kudarat province’s previous governor.
In 2019, the husband of Mayor Pallasigue was found guilty of two counts of graft by the Sandiganbayan. He was perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
In a 13-page resolution promulgated on July 19, 2019, the 5th Division of the Sandiganbayan said Dominador Pallasigue did not present any valid argument in his motion for reconsideration as it found him guilty of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The cases against the former mayor stemmed from his move in demoting and dismissing Elias Segura Jr., the municipal planning and development coordinator, in 2007.
Interestingly, Segura ran for Isulan mayor in the May 2022 elections, with Armada as his running mate, but lost to Dominador’s wife.
Segura and Armada ran for office under the Kapamilya political alliance of the Mangudadatus. (Rommel G. Rebollido / MindaNews)
