By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

THE Commonwealth Election Commission will take a position on a pending petition filed in the Supreme Court asserting that Saipan’s seats in the House of Representatives should be reduced from 16 to 12 based on the 2000 U.S. Census.
“I’m going to ask the commissioners to convene and take a position on the issue,” Gregorio Sablan, executive director of the commission, told Variety.
The commission was among the 11 government offices invited by the Supreme Court to submit amicus curiae briefs on the subject on or before June 1.
The 10 others are the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Office of the Governor through the Attorney General’s Office, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the Covenant Party, the Office of the Mayor of Saipan, the Office of the Mayor of Rota, the Office of the Mayor of Tinian/Aguiguan, and the Office of the Mayor of the Northern Islands.
They have until May 21 to file appropriate motions in connection with their briefs.
The petitioners are Sen. Maria T. Pangelinan, D-Saipan, and citizen advocate Tina E. Sablan.
Chief Justice Miguel Demapan said the hearing on the matter will be held on June 12 at 10 a.m. in Supreme Court Courtroom 114B at the Guma Hustisia in Saipan.
In his order released on May 16, Demapan said since neither the Legislature nor the governor complied with the Constitution’s requirement to implement a reapportionment or redistricting plan within the prescribed time after publication of the 2000 Census, the petitioners as qualified CNMI voters have the right to present such a reapportionment or redistricting plan for the Supreme Court’s approval or modification.
Sixteen of the 18 seats in the House represent Saipan which is divided into four districts.
The petitioners noted that the 2000 Census listed 25,913 U.S. citizens residing on Saipan.
“Petitioners claim the current legislative apportionment and districting plan unconstitutionally dilutes the votes of Rota and Tinian/Aguiguan residents because: (1) it was not updated as required by Article II, Section 4 (of the Constitution); and (2) the current plan was based on census numbers which included non-citizens ineligible to vote,” Demapan said in his order.
“Petitioners have submitted a plan to redistrict Saipan into 12 legislative districts, each comprising between 1,986 and 2,281 citizens and each electing a single representative,” he added.