Rep. Ruiz clarifies her group is intact

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue City mayoralty candidate Nerisssa Soon Ruiz yesterday belied reports that her group, the “Nagkahiusang Mandauehanon,” has fallen apart and that some members of her slate have been campaigning on their own.

Soon-Ruiz’s reaction to the issue was sought during her visit to The FREEMAN yesterday morning for the “Know Your Candidate” forum.

Soon-Ruiz who will run against re-electionist Mayor Jonas Cortes yesterday said her group has always been together in every campaign sortie.

Ruiz said that before the campaign period started, she organized a two-day live-in team-building seminar last December for the purpose of knowing the personalities of her candidates considering that they have different personalities and that they also were affiliated with other political parties in the past.

Ruiz also said that before the start of the campaign period, some of her candidates who had just entered politics had campaigned on their own. The group consented to this practice in view of the fact that they needed the exposure, but the practice was stopped when the campaign period started, she said.

She said the only time the group would split up is when the members would campaign from house to house.

“Di dyud na tinuod nga nagkabuwag. Di lang dyud ingon nga magkuyog mi tanan kay daghan kaayong manguyog mura sad ug usa ka barangay. So, di dyud ingon nga kaming tanan magsunod kay naa tay uban moadto ug laing rota and uban sad moanha ug lain rota but we go together as a group,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz said her group has decided to exclude the name of provincial board member Wenceslao “Weng “Gakit from the roster for failing to attend campaign sorties many times in the past.

But she made it clear that it was not her own decision but the decision of the majority to drop Gakit, who is seeking a seat in the provincial board.

She said the only time Gakit joined their group was when she asked him to join their campaign in barangay Paknaan, the barangay being his bailiwick and that he was to introduce and endorse the group. She said Gakit steered clear of her group after that affair.

In a chance meeting at the Cebu International Convention Center a few weeks ago, she said she asked Gakit why he had failed to join the group’s campaign sorties.

She said Gakit had told her he was busy preparing the provincial government’s budget, he being the chairman of the committee on budget, finance, and appropriation.

She said she could not force Gakit to join the group especially after hearing reports that he was seen with her rival Mayor Cortes in some government functions.

But Gakit had said that he had attended those functions upon the invitation of Gov. Gwen Garcia and not because he was invited by the city.

Because of this, “Nagkahiusang Mandauehanon” will only be supporting the candidacy of candidate Luigi Quisumbing, who is running for Congress, and former mayor Thadeo Ouano, who is seeking a seat in the provincial board.

Ruiz said yesterday the support of the Ouano patriarch, Alfredo “Pedong” Ouano, is important to her due to the fact that the older Ouano commands a large following in the city.

She said she is even glad to see the older Ouano joining her group in some of their campaign sorties.

Ruiz also denied reports that Umapad barangay captain Zaldy Lumapas, who is seeking a council seat under her slate, does not join the group in the campaign sorties.

She said there was a little misunderstanding in the beginning but that problem has already been resolved and Lumapas can be seen with the group