ROTA resident Pete Dela Cruz said although a House committee has already conducted an investigation into the governor’s public expenditures, the result of which became the basis of an impeachment resolution, “it’s not going to hurt to have an impeachment panel to review the…findings.”
Dela Cruz believes the creation of the impeachment committee is appropriate, but he also hopes the committee will give members of the public an opportunity to submit their comments.
“Let us allow the special impeachment committee to do its work,” he said.
The House resolution calling for the impeachment of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres is expected to secure 15 votes in the 20-seat House.
Once the governor is impeached, the Senate will hold a trial. If six of the nine senators vote for his conviction, the governor will be removed from office and the lt. governor, Arnold I. Palacios, will succeed Torres.
Waste of time
Two private citizens who have been holding demonstrations at Garapan Fishing Base in support of the impeachment have something to say about the creation of the special impeachment committee.
Paul Murphy, a teacher, said that from what he has read, Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez is merely following legislative protocols so that if the governor is finally impeached, there will be no excuse or technicality with regards to that decision.
As for composition of the committee, Murphy said, “All things considered, I think it is as fair as can be here on Saipan.”
But for Fabian Indalecio, a military veteran and a vocal critic of the governor, “It’s a waste of time [to] form the committee just to show that it’s for fairness. But fairness to who? Is it for the governor or for the people?”
Indalecio said the special impeachment committee “is more of stalling the process to impeach the governor,” and is not “what is in the best interest of the taxpayers, the people.”
He added, “I do not agree to it. Everyone is ready and it has been said that they, the House of Representatives, got the number to impeach the governor. [The special committee will just] give room for this governor to move around and [try to] change [the] minds [of] House members.”
Correction
The chairman of the committee, Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, said his statement that appeared in Variety’s issue on Friday was made when he created the bipartisan Special Committee on Fiscal Review of Executive Expenditure in July 2020.
He said has no comment about the special impeachment committee that will meet Tuesday, Jan. 4, at 1:30 p.m. in the House chamber.
Fabian Indalecio
