CEBU Provincial Board Member Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano is set to challenge dismissed Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes in the May 2025 midterm elections.
Ouano, together with her sister, Mandaue City Lone District Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, submitted their certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Mandaue City office on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
The two siblings headlined the One Mandaue slate, with Ouano aiming for the mayoral seat and Ouano-Dizon seeking reelection as congresswoman.
Acting Vice Mayor Nerissa Soon-Ruiz will complete the team. She is gunning for the vice mayoral seat.
Ouano’s slate for the City Council includes a mix of incumbents and newcomers.
Incumbent City Councilors Joel Seno, Anjong Ouano Icalina, and Ting Sol Cabahug have joined Ouano’s lineup.
Also joining the lineup are former councilors Fritz Villamor, Ben Basiga, and Procopio “Copoy” Villanueva, as well as several barangay captains: Dario Tariman of Tabok, Asterio Bubbles Suson of Pagsabungan, Romulo Tingy Echavez of Ibabao-Estancia, and Eping Diano of Basak.
For the board member position, the group is fielding lawyer Nilo “Olin” Seno, who ran for mayor during the 2022 elections and lost.
The City is set to gain independent representation in the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that impacts lone legislative districts across the Philippines.
Voters from Mandaue City will no longer vote for candidates vying for the Sixth District’s seats in the PB.
Candidates for Mandaue City’s new PB seats will file their COCs at the Comelec office in Mandaue City, while candidates from the sixth district will have to file their COCs at the Comelec Provincial Office at the Capitol in Cebu City.
Meanwhile, Cortes, who is already serving a one-year suspension without pay for grave misconduct after appointing an unqualified officer-in-charge to the City Social Welfare Services Office in 2022, was ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman for allowing the continuous operation of a cement batching plant without the necessary business and environmental permits.
Despite the Ombudsman’s order, Cortes filed his COC, seeking his third and final term as mayor.
Decision
Ouano said his decision to run for mayor was made after considerable deliberation with the group.
“It took us a while to make a final decision, but I finally decided since my sister wanted to finish her last term and complete her projects, the group agreed that it would be me,” Ouano told reporters on Monday, Oct. 7.
Ouano expressed hope that should he be elected, he could prioritize a couple of new projects, including the development of a hospital.
He recalled that during the time of their father, former mayor Thadeo “Teddy” Zambo Ouano, the city had a level two hospital, but now he claims it functions more like a health center.
He lamented the small budget allocation for healthcare and that the city still doesn’t have a modern hospital.
Ouano also added on his platform the public’s concerns about the City’s wealth and how it is being used to serve residents.
He said the City’s strong tax collection performance, makes it the sixth wealthiest city outside Metro Manila based on assets. However, he questioned why the wealth has not been translated into improved public services like healthcare and education.
“Best in Tax Collection, datu kaayo ang syudad sa Mandaue, ika-sixth wealthiest City outside Manila in terms of assets, pero ngano man ang atong health sector, modern hospital wala, MCC building, wala? It should translate to better service for the people,” Ouano said.
(Best in Tax Collection, sixth wealthiest city outside Manila in terms of assets, but why is our health sector lacking? We don’t have a modern hospital or a new MCC building. It should translate to better service for the people.)
Flooding, a longstanding problem in Mandaue, was also brought up by Ouano, who criticized the current administration for failing to address the issue.
He added the flooding has persisted for 18 years despite various attempts to address it.
He said there is a need to collaborate with the National Government to implement sustainable solutions. “If you ask me how we will address flooding if we win the mayoral seat, we will work closely with the National Government because the local budget alone isn’t enough,” said Ouano.
On the proposed government center, Ouano said that he is not against the idea but said there is a need to explore alternative funding sources, such as public-private partnerships, to avoid relying on loans.
His sister, Ouano-Dizon, expressed support for him while emphasizing her commitment to finishing her last term and highlighting the value her brother brings to the mayoral race.
“I wanted to finish my term as a congresswoman, and here’s someone fresh, dynamic, and full of ideas, hopefully, puhon, our Jonkie Ouano,” Quano-Dizon said.
Ouano-Dizon added her commitment to completing several important projects under her term, especially flood control efforts in Mandaue.
She said the ongoing work on the Butuanon River, Mahiga Creek, and Basak Creek, which are crucial for mitigating flooding in the city.