Former Mayor Ernesto Punzalan proffers copy of complaint versus incumbent Mayor Teddy Tumang. Photo by Bong Lacson
MEXICO, Pampanga – Make Mexico a City. New 5-Storey Municipal Building. Fully Airconditioned Convention Center. New Public Market. Additional 16 Units of Dialysis Machines. Complete Renovation of Mexico Community Hospital.
Where the townspeople of this first-class municipality may see development in the blue-chip projects of the reelecting mayor, his rival sees only a debt trap and occasions for graft and corruption.
“Utang! Utang! Utang!” cried out former mayor Ernesto Punzalan at the postered
“2022-2025 Plans of Mayor Teddy C. Tumang,” vowing to stop them.
In a press conference Tuesday at the headquarters of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas here, Punzalan alleged that the municipality is already “deep in debt” with its contracted loans for the rehabilitation of the municipal hall and the construction of the community hospital and other infrastructures.
He did not give any figures though on how much the local government owed and with what financing institutions, directing media to instead ask the LGU.
Punzalan specifically targeted the planned transfer of the municipal hall, public market, and gymnasium to Barangay San Jose Matulid as “perwisyu” (highly detrimental) to the people.
“Lulbug ya ing lugal uling ya ing catch basin ning Abacan River (The place gets easily flooded because it is the catch basin of the Abacan River),” he said. “Once flooded where will the people go for their market needs? To San Fernando, where they have to spend double their expenses.”
“The transfer will also dislocate tricycle drivers,” he added.
On his allegations of graft and corruption, Punzalan presented newspaper clippings of news stories dated 2019 of a graft complaint filed at the Ombudsman versus Tumang and a report of the Commission on Audit recommending “raps for irregular purchase.”
He also provided media with received copies of two complaint affidavits for violation of RA 7080 (Plunder) filed with the Ombudsman: one on Nov. 12, 2021 by Punzalan himself, James Vincent Lugue, and Ria Cabrera; and another on Dec. 21, 2021 by Onofre Mangulabnan Jr.
Asked of the status of the cases, Punzalan told the media present that it was their duty to inquire from the Ombudsman.
Punzalan also lamented what he alleged as “extra judicial killings” in Mexico citing the cases of three barangay captains he identified as Don Briones of Cuayan, Ismael Lampa of Pandacaqui, and Bong Gonzales of San Miguel, along with four other local residents.
He was quick to stress though that he was not implicating Tumang in any of the cases. “Nung mayor ako, walang EJK sa Mexico,” he said.
“My decision to seek the mayoralty again is in pursuit of two crusades,” Punzalan said in Kapampangan. “One, Stop Graft and Corruption. Two, Stop EJK.”
He announced that he would soon be filing a “lifestyle check” complaint against Tumang, saying that he hoped it would go the same way as the cases of former President Joseph Estrada and then-Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile getting their time in jail.
Right of Reply
The camp of Mayor Teddy Tumang has not indicated to answer Punzalan’s claims as of posting time.
