Braulio Yaranon

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Braulio Yaranon (born 1927) is a Filipino politician. A former judge and city councilor, he was elected to his first term as mayor of Baguio City in 2004, defeating the incumbent, Bernardo Vergara. Yaranon's election was considered as one of the major political upsets in the 2004 elections, given several factors such as the well-entrenched political base of Vergara and Yaranon's own advanced age, among others.

Yaranon successfully campaigned on a platform that stressed environmental issues, clean government, and opposition to the collection of parking fees in Baguio City streets. Nonetheless, Yaranon's term has been marred by controversies. In 2005, Yaranon was cited for direct contempt by the Supreme Court for defying a writ of injunction issued by the high court in relation to the controversy on the collection of parking fees in Baguio City.[1] He is presently the subject of a petition for his recall as mayor. It was also during Yaranon's term that a limited outbreak of meningococcemia in Baguio City dampened tourism during the usually busy summer months.

In late June of 2006, Yaranon was ordered suspended for one year (until June 30, 2007) by the Office of the President, on charges of grave misconduct and abuse of authority filed by a private pay-parking company operating in Baguio City. [2] Yaranon has appealed the ruling, which he insisted was not yet final. Nonetheless, Baguio City Vice-Mayor Peter Rey Bautista took his oath of office as "acting mayor" on July 20, 2006. Yaranon has refused to step aside for Bautista. [3]

Yaranon originally hailed from Aringay, La Union. He was admitted as a lawyer to the Philippine bar in 1954, and eventually joined the judiciary.