Pampanga mayor nabbed over extortion

National

THE mayor of San Simon town, Pampanga was arrested on accusation of extortion and graft.

Mayor Abundio “JP” Punsalan Jr. was arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) intelligence division at a cafe inside the Clark Freeport on Tuesday afternoon, August 5.

“Punsalan did not resist arrest while his six bodyguards were disarmed,” NBI Assistant Director Noel Cruz Bocaling said in a report by Inquirer.net.

The operation was conducted after complaints were filed by Irwin Chua and Mel Arellano, Real Steel Corp. president and corporate secretary, respectively.

Real Steel Corp. is a steel bar manufacturing firm conducting operations in San Simon.

The Republic of Vanuatu appointed Chua as the trade commissioner to Pampanga, based on an appointment letter dated November 6, 2023, and signed by Minister Marc Ati of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also holds a Vanuatu passport.

Arellano accused Punsalan of demanding P100 million from the company despite the firm not having environmental or tax-related violations.

Reports say that two Chinese-owned steel companies in San Simon have had their operations either shut down or suspended because of alleged extortion attempts by the mayor.

Punsalan had been suspended by the provincial board and the Ombudsman four times in the past for land-use conversion cases.

Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda expressed her dismay over the issue.

“I am dismayed by this development because hours before he was entrapped, he attended an event [of the Department of the Interior and Local Government] where he swore to be an honest public servant,” Pineda stated. (Marlon Ado Jr., USC Comm Intern)