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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Arrested Pampanga town mayor, 'cohort' charged with robbery, graft, illegal possession of firearms

Arrested Pampanga town mayor, 'cohort' charged with robbery, graft, illegal possession of firearms

Published Aug 7, 2025 05:53 pm
A Pampanga town mayor and his suspected cohort have been charged before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly extorting P30 million from a private company, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Thursday, August 7.
In a statement, the NBI said that San Simon town Mayor Abundio “Jun” Punsalan Jr. and Ed Ryan Dimla were presented for inquest before the DOJ following their arrest last August 6
Punsalan and Dimla were charged with robbery under Article 293 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), violation of Republic Act (RA) 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and illegal possession of firearms under RA 10591.
The NBI said they were arrested by operatives of the NBI Intelligence Service (NBI-IntS) during an entrapment operation conducted in Clark in Angeles City, Pampanga.
“Mayor Punsalan and Dimla were arrested in flagrante delicto (in the act) as they received marked money during the payoff,” it also said.
It added that the bureau acted on the complaint filed by Realsteel Corporation.
The NBI said that “complainant was contacted by Ed Ryan Dimla, who claimed to be the external city administrator and a representative of Mayor Punsalan.”
“Dimla demanded a payment of P30,000,000 to ensure the municipality’s non-interference in the implementation of Ordinance No. 24-0025, which provides tax incentives to Realsteel Corporation,” it also said.
It added that Dimla allegedly demanded another P125,000,000 as reimbursement for political expenses supposedly incurred by Mayor Punsalan to counter his opponent’s political support.
At the same time, the NBI said that “Dimla threatened the corporation that failure to pay would lead to the denial, stalling or cancellation of their business permits and other regulatory requirements, as well as revocation of the ordinance granting them tax incentives.”
Earlier, the NBI said that Punsalan and Dimla are detained at its facility inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.
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