Vice Mayor Ruiz: Land probe against ‘Lolypop’ a political propaganda

Mandaue City Vice Mayor Nerissa Soon-Ruiz

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Mandaue City Vice Mayor Nerissa Soon-Ruiz has questioned the city council’s insistence on conducting an investigation into allegations regarding the ownership of a property purchased by Congresswoman Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon.

Soon-Ruiz said that the case filed by Edward Ligas against Ouano-Dizon and her husband, Barangay Opao Captain Nixon “Jojo” Dizon, on September 24 is already being investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

She argued that if the city proceeds with its inquiry, the findings will still likely be submitted to the Ombudsman.

‘Propaganda’

Ruiz described the council’s resolution as politically motivated.

“Pero ang ako lang kung adunay silay resulta, asa man padung? Ang kani ila’ng gibuhat is just a propaganda issue, ako ni’ng personal and it is the thought of many. It is a propaganda issue against Congresswoman Emmarie Lolypop Ouano-Dizon because they cannot find any issue against her,” said Soon-Ruiz.

READ: Council resolution on probe of Lolypop politically motivated — Soon-Ruiz

Ruiz is running for vice mayor in the 2025 midterm elections and is the running mate of Ouano-Dizon’s brother, Provincial Board Member Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano, who is running for mayor.

Fact-finding

City Councilor Cynthia Cinco-Remedio, the author of the resolution, clarified that the investigation’s purpose is purely fact-finding, aimed at verifying the truth behind the allegations, especially since the property in question allegedly belongs to the city.

“Wala mi namasangil, walay politika, walay propaganda tungod kay tinuod ang among intention para sa Mandaue pero ingon sila nagkadool ang election posibli sila ang namolitika basta gusto lang namo masuta ang tinuod,” said Cinco-Remedio.

Illegal acquisition

Cinco-Remedio’s resolution, passed by the council’s majority on September 30, urges Mayor Glenn Bercede to investigate the alleged illegal acquisition of a 2,500-square-meter property.

The land in question was originally part of a 186-hectare reclamation agreement between the city government and a private developer. The resolution claims that the land, located in Barangay Centro, was allegedly owned by the city but was unlawfully transferred, leading to the issuance of Transfer Certificate of Title No. 50817 on November 9, 2022.

In response, Ouano-Dizon previously stated to the media, “We have not done anything wrong or illegal. The truth is on our side.”

City Administrator Atty. Jamaal James Calipayan explained that the investigation is not entirely separate but aims to uncover additional details related to the case.

Calipayan added that the mayor has not yet issued any instructions regarding the council’s resolution. /clorenciana