David M. Sablan, known to many as Uncle Dave, told everybody in the meeting that “I’m a Republican by heart, but I have to support Kilili.”
“He does a good work,” Uncle Dave said.
He noted that the administration seems to be very concerned about H.R. 1466, which will provide CNMI-only status to certain nonresidents.
“They think it is adverse and I beg to differ. The people whom they fear will affect the indigenous are already here so what are they talking about?” he asked.
Uncle Dave said if the nonresidents who have been here in the CNMI for a long time will all of a sudden disappear, “what will happen to businesses?”
“Let us not be fooled,” he said.
He also criticized Gov. Benigno R. Fitial’s effort of lobbying in the nation’s capital against H.R. 1466, saying “let us talk about the differences here in the CNMI and [not in] the U.S.”
Justin Pangelinan, who resides in Virginia but is here on a vacation, said he had read H.R. 1466 and he did not see anything in it that was adverse to the CNMI.
“I’m an avid Republican,” Pangelinan disclosed but he said he decided to work with Kilili’s office as an intern for free, “because I like the way he pushes for the CNMI’s interest.”
Pangelinan thanked Kilili for all the things he learned while working as his intern.
Kilili was surprised to learn from Pangelinan himself that all the time he had a Republican intern at his office.
“You should have told me that when you applied,” Kilili said in jest.
Pangelinan, Kilili said, is among the CNMI people living in the U.S. whom he is very happy to help.
Northern Marianas College instructor Frank Sobolewski noted that of the 47 co-sponsors of H.R. 1466, some are Republicans.
He asked Kilili what else he can do to get more Republicans in the U.S. Congress to support his measure.
Kilili replied: “It’s tough.”
But he said he has met with U.S. Republican lawmakers to ask for their support.
As for those he knew would not support it, he said he asked them to at least not oppose it.
Kilili told reporters after the townhall meeting that he was just trying to fix a problem that he did not create.
“I have never ever had a foreign worker worked for me. I have never brought one foreigner into the Northern Marianas. But on Jan. 3, 2009 when I took my oath of office, I found this problem on the door. I did not walk over it, I did not sidestepped it. I picked it up and made it as much as my own problem because it’s problem for the NMI and we are trying to fix it now,” he said.
Addressing the CNMI’s economic concerns in light of the implementation of the federal immigration law, Kilili said, “is not something that should be made political.”
“You guys saw the last campaign,” he said, referring to last year’s delegate election. “They did not just throw the kitchen sink at me. They threw the bathtub at me on this issue alone.”
