Rep. Stanley T. Torres who, like Speaker Froilan C. Tenorio was critical of Reyes’ contract as LB director, said the speaker should “leave her alone.”
In an interview on Friday, Torres, Ind.-Saipan, said the Legislature will not be able to move forward if the speaker will continue to “go after an individual just for the benefit of another individual.”
Torres said he now supports the Senate resolution retaining Reyes as LB director and won’t sign the appointment of former Sen. Maria Frica T. Pangelinan as Reyes’ replacement.
Except for Torres, the other members of the House leadership have signed Pangelinan’s appointment.
He said he already told Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, that he, Torres, has no intention to sign it.
Focusing on the LB director’s contract, Torres said, won’t bring the CNMI people any good.
He admitted that after they were sworn-in last January, he agreed with the speaker that Reyes’ contract should be scrutinized.
He even supported the speaker’s certified question to the Supreme Court regarding Reyes’ contract.
Torres said he decided to leave the issue behind when the Supreme Court dismissed the petition for the certified question.
The Supreme Court dismissed the petition because it was “concerned that the parties do not comprehensively reflect a full spectrum of the legislators who may have an interest in the disposition of this matter.”
This means, Torres said, that the Senate, too, should have joined the House leadership in bringing the certified question to the court.
