Soon-Ruiz decries vandalism at Mandaue Heritage Plaza
A sensor-activated light at the Heritage Plaza was splashed with black paint after an individual threw paint at a campaign tarpaulin. | Photo: Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Mandaue City Vice Mayor Nerissa Soon-Ruiz has expressed concern over an act of vandalism at the City Heritage Plaza, where a sensor-activated light was splashed with black paint.
The Vice Mayor is alarmed by the damage to city property, particularly the sensor tiles, which were soiled following the vandalism of their team’s campaign tarpaulin.
“Kwarta ni sa katawhan, kwarta ni sa mga tawo sa Mandaue nga nagbuhat niini para munindot atong plaza. Bahala na unsaon nila ang tarpaulin — it would not matter, duol na kaayo ang election — but these are moves of a desperate team,” said Soon-Ruiz. (This is the people’s money, the money of the people of Mandaue who worked on this to make our plaza beautiful. I don’t care what they do with the tarpaulin — it doesn’t matter, the election is very near — but these are the actions of a desperate team.)
While she acknowledged that vandalism during election season is common, she emphasized that this act — which also resulted in damage to public property — should not be taken lightly, as it could potentially affect other areas of the city.
The sensor-activated light, which is part of a multi-million-peso beautification project for the heritage park ahead of the city’s May 8 fiesta, is designed to light up in different colors when stepped on.
Engineer Marivic Cabigas, head of the City Engineering Office and project overseer, stated that efforts are underway to clean and restore the affected area of the plaza.
Vice Mayor Soon-Ruiz also plans to take legal action once the individual responsible for the vandalism is identified.
Surveillance footage shows a person riding a motorcycle at dawn on Thursday, who disembarks, approaches the tarpaulin, and proceeds to throw paint.
Additionally, the Vice Mayor questioned the effectiveness of the city’s surveillance system, citing the poor quality of CCTV footage from the Heritage Plaza and suggesting that the city may need to review the condition of its security infrastructure.
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