The CNMI Board of Parole members, from left: Anthony Macaranas, Christopher Leon Guerrero, Francine Nekai, Lucinda Selepeo, George Hocog, Vicente Borja and Ignacio Mendiola.
AFTER deliberating Thursday afternoon, the CNMI Board of Parole unanimously revoked Edward I. Blas’s parole and denied the parole applications of six inmates.
The board’s acting chair Lucinda Selepeo, members Christopher Leon Guerrero, Anthony Macaranas, Francine Nekai, Ignacio Mendiola, George Hocog and Vicente Borja voted to revoke Blas’s parole for violating his conditional release.
The board then directed the police to immediately place Blas in custody.
The parole board, whose legal counsel is Assistant Attorney General Leslie Healer, held the revocation and parole hearings at the Department of Corrections.
It was Macaranas who moved to revoke Blas’s parole. “Blas was given chances,” Macaranas said. “He has not found a way to obey the law, to stay away from people that he is not supposed to be with, to stay away from alcohol and to not commit crimes. If we allow him to be free, guess what the repercussion could be. That will be him committing a crime probably more serious than what he recently has done. Let’s revoke his parole and return him back to the institution.”
Blas was found guilty of assault while on parole. Before he was paroled, Blas served a 24-year prison sentence for murder in the first degree committed during the perpetration of burglary and/or robbery.
He became eligible for parole after serving one-third of his sentence.
Blas, whose parole application was granted in July 2022, was arrested and charged with assaulting his girlfriend on Nov. 1, 2022.
In 2009, Blas, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was charged as an adult with two other teenagers, Eric Rabauliman and Randy Igisomar.
According to the prosecution, the three beat to death a security guard, Efren Ballesteros, 45, with a PVC pipe, an iron rebar and a 2×2 piece of wood on Nov. 17, 2008, at Marianas High School.
Police said the three defendants planned to steal laptops from MHS.
6 inmates
The parole board also denied the parole applications of Kui Zhang, Calixtro Crisostomo, Bradley Defang, Titomir Bhuiyan, Derik Reyes and Randy Igisomar.
Zhang pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a controlled substance on Sept. 15, 2022, and was sentenced to serve five years in prison, all suspended except for three years.
Crisostomo is serving a five-year sentence for burglary and theft.
Defang, who pleaded guilty to one count of robbery on Jan. 17, 2021, was sentenced to serve 10 years’ imprisonment, all suspended except five years.
Bhuiyan pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping on April 8, 2015. The kidnapping incident occurred on Nov. 29-30, 2014. He was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment with three years suspended.
Reyes is serving a five-year sentence for illegal possession of a controlled substance: methamphetamine.
Igisomar is serving a 22-year sentence for murder in the first degree.
Clemency
The board will recommend clemency and pardon for Jordan Taitingfong, who was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery and aggravated assault and battery in 2017.
The board’s recommendation now heads to the Office of the Governor.
“It’s in the authority of the governor to give pardon to any prisoner,” parole board member Christopher Leon Guerrero said.
According to parole board member Ignacio Mendiola, “Under the constitutional authority of the CNMI governor, [he can] concur with the CNMI Board of Parole’s position on a particular applicant whether to grant clemency or not. However, the governor also has the unilateral authority to make an independent decision.”
Today, Friday, Sept. 1, the parole board members will hold a regular meeting to elect their officers.
