THE portrait mural of suspended San Simon Mayor Abundio Punsalan Jr. at the CDCP junction has been vandalized.

The photo of Punsalan's portrait-mural on a high concrete fence splashed with red paint has gone viral on community Facebook pages in the town, earning mixed reactions from netizens.

On Thursday, July 15, Punsalan and his political rival acting Mayor Leonora Wong both condemned what they described as a "disrespectful act."

"I am saddened by such distasteful act and I ask whoever did it to talk to me so we can discuss whatever their concerns are, instead of ruining a public art," he said.

The suspended mayor, meanwhile, said he already told his supporters not to engage with his detractors to avoid fueling controversies.

"As for me, I still love and respect them, especially if they are Simonians whom I swore to serve until June 2022," he said.

Wong, for her part, said she already instructed the town's chief of police, Gregorio Santos, to coordinate with establishments with closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras around the area which may have captured the incident.

"I understand that the blame will be put on the rival party but I can assure that is was not me and my staff who did it that is why I really also wanna know who is behind it," she said.

She added that a P20,000 cash reward awaits anybody who can identify the person responsible for the vandalism.