PRECINCT 2 Rep. John Paul “JP” Pacho Sablan, who is seeking reelection as an independent candidate, responded to the complaint of his Republican rival, Keith William Ada, by asking the Commonwealth Election Commission to also investigate Ada’s residency in the precinct.
Sablan has provided CEC with documents supporting his residency in Precinct 2.
Sablan, on his mother’s side of the family, is the grandson of Francisco “Tan Ko” Muna Palacios, a respected patriarch in Precinct 2, Chalan Kanoa and a devoted servant of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral for 41 years before he passed away at the age of 89 in August 2018.
JP Sablan’s father is the CNMI’s fourth House speaker, Vicente “Pacho” M. Sablan, who represented Precinct 2 for 10 years in the House of Representatives.
Prior to JP Sablan’s counter-complaint, Ada asked CEC to check the residency of JP Sablan who, Ada said, lives in Kagman.
Ada and CNMI Court Deputy Marshal Eric Esteves are the Republican House candidates in Precinct 2, which has two House seats.
In his email to CEC on Thursday, JP Sablan, who is running with Northern Marianas College Enrollment Services Director Manny Gregory Tenorio Castro, said he would like to submit his “counter request” that CEC investigate the validity of Ada’s residency in Precinct 2.
JP Sablan said, “If there is any candidate that should be questioned about his or her candidacy, it should be Mr. Keith William C. Ada as he only recently registered as a voter of election Precinct 2. In fact, your records would show that Mr. Ada voted in Precinct 6 (Tinian and Aguigan) during the last election.”
JP Sablan said Ada’s allegation “is an insult to my constituents who wholeheartedly know that I have been living in election Precinct 2 my entire life.”
JP Sablan added, “I find it absurd that after serving my dear people of election Precinct 2 for five consecutive terms this is the first time my residency has ever been put into question, most especially by an opponent who was a registered voter of Tinian and Aguiguan and, until recently, was residing in Koblerville. This is a complete distraction to the people of election Precinct 2.”
JP Sablan said, “Despite this baseless act of petty politics, I stand ready to defend my residency and will continue to work for my constituents.”
JP Sablan
