SENATOR Thomas P. Villagomez was not a mere “observer” in the May 15 Tinian meeting that discussed the plan to remove Paul A. Manglona from the Senate presidency.
Villagomez was “the instigator of the move to change the Senate leadership,” according to Sens. Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, and Ramon S. Guerrero, American Reform-Saipan.
Villagomez, R-Saipan, declined to comment.
In an interview yesterday, Reyes and Guerrero recounted the events that happened from the time the Senate held a session on May 13 and rejected the nomination of former Sen. Edward U. Maratita to sit on the Commonwealth Development Authority board; the May 14 meeting in Dandan when Reyes, Guerrero, Villagomez and Senate Vice President David M. Cing, D-Tinian, planned to change the leadership; and up to the time of the May 15 meeting on Tinian where the four senators again met with Senate Floor Leader Joaquin G. Adriano, D-Tinian, and Jose M. Dela Cruz, D-Tinian, to form the new leadership.
Reyes and Guerreo claimed that Villagomez did not only participate in these meeting, but incited them to push for a change in the Senate leadership.
“For him to say that he did not say anything is not only false but deceitful. Senator Villagomez is the instigator of the overthrow of Senate President Manglona and then he is now coming out and pretending that he is not part of the move. What he did was a complete betrayal and a treacherous action against the people that he recruited,” Reyes and Guerrero said.
The two senators assailed Villagomez for his betrayal and said that there may no longer be anyone who could trust him.
“Now he is trying to go back to the current leadership. But if his colleagues in the Senate do not trust him anymore, how can we expect that the Saipan people will not be betrayed by Senator Villagomez’s ambitious and unethical quest to elevate himself in the current leadership which he is betraying?” Reyes said.
He added that he would be ready to inform the current Senate leadership about Villagomez’s action in a session.
“I have no hesitation to do that. I wish that the current leadership elevate him to replace Vice President Cing. As far as I’m concerned, they can have him because he fits right in. And I wish them good luck,” he said.
Manglona, R-Rota, hoped that they would be able to resolve the controversy.
“I’m asking my colleagues to calm down so that we can remain focused on doing good things that we promised to the people. This is not the first time that this thing happened. I am very confident that we will be able to solve this. We cannot afford to fight. We must instead prioritize what we can do for the people because in the end, we will be gauged through our performance and not through politicking,” Manglona said.
The attempted “coup” failed after Dela Cruz decided to remain with the current leadership. Villagomez later told Variety that he was just an “observer” during the meeting on Tinian.
