REPRESENTATIVE Celina R. Babauta on Monday introduced House Resolution 22-14 calling for the impeachment of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres on allegations of corruption, neglect of duty and felonies of theft.
Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, for his part, announced the creation of a special committee on impeachment, saying that he will appoint its members at a later date.
Three members of the public addressed the House members before Babauta, who chairs the House Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee, introduced the impeachment resolution during the House session that started at 10 a.m.
Former teacher Ambrose Bennett and veteran Fabian Indalecio expressed support for H.R. 22-14 while substance abuse counselor Grace Pitu Sablan-Vaiagae spoke against it.
In his remarks, Bennett said “the evidence presented” by the House Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee “is more than enough to move ahead with the impeachment, which is proper and necessary in accordance [with] our constitution,” he added.
Bennett said the governor “continues to be a genuine embarrassment to the CNMI for one thing after another for years, which is why he must go now.”
He said failure to impeach the governor will “send a signal” that the CNMI government is “not looking out for the people and can only depend on the federal government to “protect the Commonwealth from high-profile politicians.”
Sablan-Vaiagae, for her part, asked House members: “Will you amend these articles to include previous governors and lt. governors who have done the same? Would you amend it to include the removal of sitting representatives who have criminal and ethical charges against them?”
She said these include “a sitting representative who has allegedly beat down a man in front of his special-needs child, and another representative who has not one but several criminal sexual conduct or related charges against him, and another [House member] who is allegedly allowing illegal game fighting to occur on or near her private residence and allegedly managed by her relatives?”
Indalecio, for his part, told the House members: “You are intelligent and I hope the senators have the same intelligence, instead of disregarding the evidence.”
He said he supports the impeachment resolution because “this governor is not trusted.”
He also asked the lawmakers to “look at the present time” and not look back at previous governors.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, 13 of the 20 House members had signed H.R. 22-14. They are Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, House Floor Leader Ralph N. Yumul, Reps. Joel Camacho, John Paul Sablan, Celina Babautra, Donald Manglona, Leila Staffler, Tina Sablan, Vicente Camacho, Richard Lizama, Corina Magofna, Edwin Propst and Denita Yangetmai.
The governor will be impeached if at least 14 House members voted to adopt the resolution. Once that happens, the nine-seat Senate will hold a trial. The governor will be removed from office if six senators vote for his conviction.
The first CNMI governor to be impeached by the House was Benigno R. Fitial in February 2013 by a vote of 16 to 4. He resigned before the Senate could conduct a trial.
The House of Representatives holds a session Monday morning on Capital Hill.
