INQUIRER Global Nation

Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (Cebu, 6th district) yesterday said she has no intention to turn down her appointment as the vice president for the Visayas of the administration party, Lakas-Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-Kampi-CMD).

She said Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, who urged her not to accept the appointment, should not question the decision of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, otherwise, he should leave the party.

“To question the decision of the President... is a sign of political naiveté on the part of the mayor,” said Soon-Ruiz in a statement. “He should learn to show respect to the wisdom of the President and should even be happy that a Mandauehanon was extended a sensitive position in the newly merged party.”

Cortes and Soon-Ruiz both belong to Lakas-Kampi-CMD, but are in rival local alliances. They both announced plans to run for mayor of Mandaue in 2010, raising questions on who would be the party’s official candidate.

Cortes yesterday said he did not question the wisdom of the President, but was concerned about what Soon-Ruiz would do once the party starts choosing official candidates for Mandaue.

Cortes said he wanted the “equity of the incumbent” rule observed in Mandaue, wherein the sitting official automatically becomes the party’s official candidate for reelection. Cortes said that with Soon-Ruiz as the party’s vice president for the Visayas, she is expected to favor herself.

Gonzalo Malig-on, Soon-Ruiz’s spokesperson, said Cortes’ worries were “premature and illogical” because the rules of the merged party were still under discussion.

“If those running will not accept positions of the party, then there will be no officials left for the party,” Malig-on said. “Inday Nerry will not relinquish her post just because of an insecure mayor because it is a duty that the party gave to her.”

Cortes said he expected Soon-Ruiz to cling on to her position.

“She is intoxicated with power when even her husband is also eyeing an elective post,” referring to Interior Undersecretary Lito Ruiz, who is rumored to be eyeing the mayoralty of neighboring Lapu-Lapu City.

The Soon-Ruiz camp said Cortes should focus on projects for the city rather than talking about politics.

“The issue that he needs to focus on is to explain to the Mandauehanons why he had no concrete achievement despite the fact that the City Council had already appropriated more than P1.7 billion of funds for the last two years of his administration,” Soon-Ruiz said.

For his part, Cortes said that he was “busy” implementing projects of Soon-Ruiz, whom he said would start a project in Mandaue but would not finish it, leaving City Hall to finish the job.

The mayor cited Soon-Ruiz’s unfinished drainage project in Canduman that did not have an outfall, the unfinished Tingbug barangay hall that was only completed up to the posts, and the unfinished catch-basin for barangay Cabancalan which that would submerge residential areas during rains because of its incomplete state.

Cortes earlier said he would file an objection to Soon-Ruiz’s new position in the party one he gets an official copy of the appointment.