On January 19, he announced his candidacy as an independent candidate.
But last week, he said he has joined the local GOP and accepted its invitation to run for precinct 2.
“They asked me to come back and I also considered the committee’s decision,” he said and stressed that the GOP appears to have fixed its problem among disgruntled members.
“Right now the GOP is united,” he said.
When asked about his political advantage over incumbent Rep. Raymond D. Palacios, Covenant-Saipan, Atalig said: “I don’t have any problem with him.”
However, he noted that the community knows if they are being served by their elected leaders.
Atalig also clarified he is not being “manipulated” or forced by his father, Saipan Municipal Council member Felipe Atalig, to run for public office.
He did acknowledge that his father’s long experience in the local politics and as one of the stalwarts of the GOP, can help his candidacy.
“My father is involved in central committee and I am directly working with the committee in the precinct level,” he said.
He said he had visited at least 70 percent of residents in Chalan Kanoa and Susupe during his house-to-house campaign.
He said congestion and the need to beautify the villages were among concerns raised during his visits.
“If you have community with no program at all chances are the people will be influenced to do wrong,” he said as he vowed to push for better environment in his precinct.
Atalig was recently elected as block captain of the Neighborhood Watch Task Force after the residents gathered to lay out plan to deter the rising criminality in Chalan Kanoa and Susupe.
“We can always try to prevent or reduce it. If you involve community, that’s the strong weapon against crime,” Atalig said, adding that burglary incidents, with 10 reported cases in Department of Public Safety, is alarming to residents.
If elected into office, he said he would implement programs that will help the youth such as giving them livelihood opportunities as well as a center where they can hone their talents and skills.
