Soon-Ruiz promises to prioritize Mandaue’s 2025 budget review

Acting Mandaue City Vice Mayor Nerissa Soon-Ruiz. | CDN Digital photo / Mary Rose Sagarino

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines – Shortly after she assumed as the acting vice mayor of Mandaue City, Nerissa Soon-Ruiz said that she will consider the review of the 2025 budget proposal as her top priority.

Soon-Ruiz said she wanted to especially ensure “transparency” during budget deliberations.

“We should be transparent kay kwarta man nis katawhan. Dili man ni nga kwarta lang nga sila-sila ray magbuot, it should be fair for the Mandauehanons ug mahibaw sad ang taga Mandaue unsay gigastuhan sa ilang buhis,” she said.

READ: Mandaue Vice Mayor Bercede assumes as acting mayor

She made a promise that the City Council under her leadership will never be a “rubber stamp council.”

“Dili ko gusto nga atoang council mahimo lang rubber stamp. Og unsay gusto sa executive, tuman lang ta bisan dili nato tun-an, dili tan-awon.  There should be a separation of the executive and legislative.  Acting separately gyud na siya dili kay uyon ka lang sa tanan. At least you should be autonomous in your decision,” said Soon-Ruiz.

Soon-Ruiz assumed as the acting vice mayor on Monday. Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede is currently the acting mayor.

READ: Mayor Jonas Cortes of Mandaue City suspended for 1 year

On Sunday, Bercede received an order from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) designating him as acting mayor while Mayor Jonas Cortes is serving his one year suspension.

Budget review

With her assumption as the acting vice mayor, Soon-Ruiz said she wanted to scrutinize the city’s annual budget.

READ: Why is Mayor Jonas Cortes suspended?

She admitted that in the past, budgets were immediately passed by the council that consist mostly of allies of suspended Mayor Cortes.

Moreover, only the chairperson of the Committee on Budget and Finance is required to attend budget hearings.

READ: Mandaue councilors push massive info drive on dangers of leptospirosis

As a procedure, the executive department submits the budget request for the succeeding year between September to October of the current year.  Members of the city council have at least two months to scrutinize the budget proposal and have this approved before the year ends.

In the absence of an approved budget, Mandaue City will have to use a reenacted budget in 2025.  Mandaue City has an approved budget of P4 billion this year.

“Kung maayo ang ikuan (propose) sa executive, dili ingon nga atoang babagan. Atoang tun-an kung maayo ba,” Soon-Ruiz said.

Soon Ruiz said that when budget deliberation starts, she wanted to seek audience with the different City Hall department and office heads to look at their respective budget requests.

“Akoang gitinguha nga tan-awon gyud nato ang budget per department og igo ba, sakto bang budget ana nila, Niadto for approval, walay question, diretso approve lang unya ig human magsige og yawyaw. Ang SP, nganong gamay ra og budget bisan para sa buwak, wala man gali. Magkuot pa tas atoang bulsa kay wala man mi kahibaw pilay budget. Og naay pangutana, atoang tawgon nato ang department head, budget officer ngano man, ang Office of the Mayor dako man kaayo iyang budget unya kani dinhi nakuwangan,” she said.