( e ) General provisions . — Whenever any provincial or municipal officer or employee shall be suspended in accordance with the provisions of this section, it shall be the duty of the suspending officer not later than ten days from the day of the suspension t o file written charges with the provincial board or municipal council, as the case may be, setting forth the nature of the complaints made against the suspended officer or employee. The board or council shall, at its first meeting held thereafter, whether  the same be a regular or special meeting, furnish a copy of said charges to the accused officer or employee with a notification of the time and place of the hearing upon said charges, and at the time and place appointed the board or council shall proceed t o hear and investigate the truth or falsity of the said charges, giving the suspended officer or employee full opportunity to be heard. The hearing shall occur as soon as may be practicable and in any event not later than fifteen days from the date the acc used is furnished a copy of the charges, unless the suspended officer or employee shall, on good and sufficient reasons, request an extension of time to prepare his defense. The hearing before the board or council shall be public and shall be held without  any unnecessary delay, and the testimony of the witnesses shall be taken in writing. Within thirty days after completion of the investigation, the board or council shall render in writing its findings as to the truth or falsity of the charges and decide wh ether or not the accused shall be dismissed from the service or punished by suspension not to exceed six months. From the decision of the board or council the respondent officer or employee shall be entitled to an appeal as hereinbefore prescribed, if the  appeal is filed within fifteen days after receipt by such respondent officer or employee of the findings and decision of the board or council. Immediately upon receipt of notice of such appeal the board or council shall transmit the record containing the c harges, evidence taken, findings, and decision in the case to the authority empowered to decide the appeal. In case the suspended officer or employee is ordered reinstated, payment may be ordered of his salary for the time of his suspension, but in no case  shall payment of salary during the period of suspension be made to a suspended officer or employee who has been reinstated, unless such payment is expressly ordered to be made by the department governor. (f) Special powers of department governor . — The provisions of this section shall not be construed to deprive the department governor of the power to investigate on his own motion, and for cause to suspend 818 Philippine Law Encyclopedia 2011 Copyright 2012 CD Technologies Asia, Inc. and Accesslaw, Inc.