Understanding Team Mandaue’s LONE CONGRESSIONAL SEAT issue

Lying across the Mactan Island where Lapu-Lapu City is located, and strategically located between the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge and the Cebu International Port, is the city of Mandaue. 

 

Also known as the “Furniture Capital of the Philippines”, Mandaue has a long history of commerce as it used to be a busy port for merchant trade.  Today, Mandaue is a modern metropolis bustling with economic activity as more than 40% of Cebu’s export companies are located here.

Highly Urbanized City

Mandaue is politically subdivided into 27 barangays and was recognized as a HIGHLY URBANIZED city in 1991.  The classification as “Highly Urbanized” is significant because it would have entitled Mandaue to the coveted LONE SEAT in Congress.

 

The Fortune of Lapu Lapu City

In contrast, Lapu Lapu obtained its highly urbanized status much later than Mandaue, only sometime in 2007.  Not long after that, or in October 2009 (just a few months before the Philippine elections), the bill converting Lapu Lapu into a lone district was passed and signed into law.  Its PRINCIPAL AUTHOR—Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz. 

In an interview conducted shortly after the law was signed by the President, Ruiz said that Lapu Lapu will elect its first Congressman in the May 2010 elections.

With Nerissa’s term about to expire, she is now running for Mayor of Mandaue city, while her husband is running for—you guessed it—the LONE CONGRESSIONAL SEAT of Lapu Lapu.

 

BENEFIT OF THE LONE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

The Congressman of a regular LONE district will receive P70 Million annually in pork barrel (PDAF) on top of other budget allocations. 

• If Nerissa did it for Lapu Lapu, why then didn’t she do the same for Mandaue where she is now seeking to become its Mayor?
•  Was it a case of political convenience for personal benefit?
• Or was it just a major failure to pursue what is good for Mandaue?

 

We may never get the real answers on this issue from Nerissa

just as she continues to hide the truth about her dumping Gibo for Manny Villar.

 

But her reasons will not matter to Mandauehanons now for it will never change the fact that she failed to do what was best for Mandaue when she had the power to do so.

 

Nerry, Nerry, Quite Contrary: How Does Your Money Grow?

From a negative net worth in 2003 to a positive net worth of over Php5 million and some questionable valuation of Nerissa Ruiz’s assets, the question on the ordinary citizen’s mind is this: 

What magic formula did Nerissa Ruiz use to increase her assets 500-hundred fold in 4 short years?

Respected columnist and political analyst Valeriano Avila of the Freeman talks about it today.  Click here to view the article.