Reps. Joseph P. Deleon Guerrerro, R-Saipan; Trenton B. Conner, R-Tinian; and Teresita A. Santos, Ind.-Rota joined the heated discussions but managed to maintain their composure.
The argument broke out after Tenorio spoke about his letter to the administration asking for a review of the fiscal year 2011 budget.
The former governor told the other House members that his letter to Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos was about the need to reduce the size of the government by laying off nonessential employees.
He said administration should start with Rota and Tinian whose leaders, he added, are opposed to the Saipan casino bill which could have helped address the government’s financial problems.
The government, he said, is in dire need of revenue now. Allowing casino operation on Saipan will bring in the needed revenue to avoid the reduction of government workforce and perhaps even restore the 80-hour work period, which has been cut to 64.
Benavente said Tenorio seemed to be making a threat.
It is wrong to say that there are more nonessential employees on Rota and Tinian compared to the central government, he added.
He reminded Tenorio that just like on Saipan, there are employees on Rota and Tinian who work for Public Health and Public Safety.
Benavente noted that like the Rota and Tinian members, four of the six representatives of Saipan’s Precinct 1 and two of Saipan’s three senators are also opposed to the casino proposal.
At this point, Benavente and Tenorio were already raising their voices, prompting Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, to remind everybody that they could only comment on and not debate the content of Tenorio’s letter to the administration.
In an interview, Benavente said it was not just misleading but “outright wrong” for any member of the Legislature to make such statements, referring to Tenorio.
“We made it perfectly clear that we as the body should not tolerate and allow such statements to be made by any member because it reflects on the entire body so we should not sit back and allow it,” Benavente added.
House Floor Leader George N. Camacho, Ind.-Saipan, said whenever Tenorio speaks “passionately” about something, he tends to raise his voice but is not attacking anybody in particular.
“It was just his passion on the issue that we do need to reduce the size of the government and if we are going to do that, it should start on Rota and Tinian,” Camacho said.
Rep. Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan, said he will ask the House clerk to delete from the journal the exchange of words between Benavente and Tenorio.