HE didn’t disclose the facts, but Senate Minority Pete P. Reyes said he and Sen. Ramon S. Guerrero have enough pieces of evidence “proving” that Senate President Paul A. Manglona and Senate Vice President Jose M. Dela Cruz violated the CNMI Ethics Code and should be prosecuted.
“Once the final product of the audit comes out, I guarantee that the majority (members of the Senate) will change their tune (that our allegations against Manglona and Dela Cruz) are just politically motivated,” Reyes said in an interview yesterday.
He added: “If (our) findings are confirmed (by the Office of the Public Auditor), and I am sure it will be confirmed, I will push for prosecution.”
Reyes, R-Saipan, and Guerrero, American Reform-Saipan, recently requested OPA to conduct an investigation into Dela Cruz’s daughter who allegedly is listed as a full-time employee of Manglona while attending the University of Guam.
But Manglona, in a separate interview, said “there is nothing in there that will show that Dela Cruz’s daughter is on my payroll.”
He said this could be “another retaliation” of the minority bloc following their failed attempt to change the composition of the Senate leadership.
According to Manglona, R-Rota, he does not have control over the contracts of other staff employed by other senators.
“(Those contracts) do not go through my desk. So I don’t know who the employees are for other senators or each senator. I don’t control or sign any of their contracts,” Manglona said.
Dela Cruz, D-Tinian, said he was not surprised that Reyes is now attacking him and his family.
He said he had already expected that Reyes will do it after he refused to join the group that wanted to change the composition of the Senate leadership.
“It is unfortunate that Senator Reyes has turned his loss into a personal vendetta. Other than Senator (Manglona), the delegations from Rota and Tinian have suffered in the minority since the commonwealth was established,” he said.
Dela Cruz added: “Now, all of a sudden, because of his own lack of political acumen, Senator Reyes finds himself in the minority. And he just cannot handle it. This is a mark of a shallow politician.”
He also said that there was no reason to punish his daughter “simply because she happens to be the daughter of an elected official.”
He said he trusts that OPA will investigate this matter and finally put it to rest.
Reyes said he had talked with Public Auditor Mike Sablan who assured him that the investigation would be a “priority” of the agency.
He said Manglona and Dela Cruz cannot just “write off (their allegation) as another political maneuvering or vendetta” of the minority group since “this is substantiated by factual documents.”
Reyes hinted that Manglona could have abused public funds for the personal benefit of Dela Cruz’s daughter.
“When public funds are involved and where a possible abuse of public funds may be an issue, it is incumbent on us to make sure that any violations of ethics on the use of public funds is explored and investigated by an appropriate agency and prosecuted,” Reyes said.
