WITH the opposition-dominated Mandaue City Council upholding a Capitol-brokered ceasefire, it was Cebu City 6th District Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz's turn to fire a political broadside at Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.

Yesterday, the two officials lashed out at each other over Mandaue City's flooding problems.

Soon-Ruiz said Cortes “should stop passing the buck” to the previous administration of former Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano.

In a press statement, Soon-Ruiz defended the drainage project she funded in Cabancalan along E Cortes Street, saying it was “a stop gap measure” that helped mitigate the flooding in the area.

She said Cortes has done nothing except blame his predecessor and her for his administration's failures.

“Now he is blaming me for his incompetence in solving the drainage problem in his city,” Soon-Ruiz said.

Cortes earlier criticized Soon-Ruiz on the Cabancalan drainage project worth P1.5 million which residents there reportedly dubbed “Boracay” due to the presence of flood waters.

During a media tour of the mayor's projects, Cabancalan barangay captain Coregidor Cosedo said rainfall that lasts more than 30 minutes floods the area with waist-deep water.

Data disclosed during the media tour erroneously identified the C.P. Batiller drainage project in barangay Umapad as funded by Soon-Ruiz.

However, the Mandaue City Engineering Office said the project was implemented during the Ouano administration.

Cortes said both drainage projects done by Ouano and Ruiz were “a waste of government funds.”

Ouano and Ruiz sealed a political alliance since last year's elections when Cortes ran and won Mandaue City's mayoralty seat against Ouano's son Jonkie.

Ruiz said Cortes should implement a comprehensive program to solve Mandaue City's flooding problems.

She also said she did her part to alleviate the flooding problems of the city.

“The solution to the drainage problem in Mandaue cannot be done by doing stand alone drainage projects. It requires a comprehensive approach,” she added.

Like the opposition council, Soon-Ruiz blamed the mayor for delegating the responsibility of solving the flooding problems to his relatives.

“Since the mayor up to now is just waiting for manna in heaven to solve the drainage problem, the Mandauehanons are made to suffer. Now that the drainage problem in Mandaue is rearing its ugly head he is blaming me for his failure to address it head on,” Soon-Ruiz said. Reporter Dale G. Israel