ROTA residents, especially students and their parents, want to know why the four lawmakers of their island have not organized the Rota legislative delegation.
In an interview, Rota resident Cris Ogo, a former House member who is now the program manager of the Indigenous Affairs Office, said people on Rota have been asking, “What is this infighting among our elected officials all about?”
There is an urgent need to appropriate funds for scholarships and other community projects, but none of the local appropriation measures have been introduced because the Rota Legislative Delegation has yet to organize, Ogo said.
This prompted him to write a letter to Sen. Victor Hocog, Sen. Teresita Santos, Sen. Paul A. Manglona and Rep. Donald Manglona, the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Since Ogo doesn’t have Hocog’s email address, he asked the other Rota lawmakers to forward Ogo’s letter to Hocog who chairs the Senate Committee on Fiscal Affairs.
In his letter, Ogo said he had an opportunity to speak to Rep. Donald Manglona in February seeking information if the delegation had organized itself.
At the time, Ogo said Rep. Manglona mentioned that there had been an attempt to hold a first session.
“Unfortunately, a compromise to choose a chairperson was not established for the reason that [other] members wanted the position,” Ogo said in his letter.
He asked the members of the delegation to “please explain the competitiveness of being a chairman for the delegation. Does it pay more? Is it a reelection competition? Hafa nai?”
Ogo noted that in 21st Legislature, the Rota Legislative Delegation was inactive.
“There was too much infighting within the delegation members. It is apparent that three months into the 22nd Legislature, the Saipan and Tinian Legislative Delegations have already organized and are ready to conduct business for their municipalities,” Ogo said.
Rep. Donald Manglona has prefiled Rota Local Bills 22-01 and 22-02 to appropriate funding for Rota college students’ financial assistance and displaced patients.
Earlier this week, Sen. Paul A. Manglona drafted a memorandum calling for an organizational session on May 6, 2021 at 10 a.m. in the Rota mayor’s conference room.
Although he knows that no one has been elected delegation chairman yet, Sen. Manglona said the delegation rules allow any member to call for an inaugural session.
In an interview, Sen. Manglona said they were supposed to hold the organizational session, but it did not officially proceed because the issue regarding the delegation chairmanship was contentious.
Sen. Manglona said he wants to be chairman again so he can continue to push the agenda that couldn’t move in the 21st Legislature because Sens. Hocog and Santos continuously refused to make themselves available for session.
He said Santos also wants to chair the Rota delegation.
The people are watching
Ogo said a lot of people on Rota are waiting and watching. Many are disappointed, he added.
He said Rep. Manglona’s bill prefiled in February “should be on the Rota Legislative Delegation calendar for action. These bills are for our college students and displaced patients on Saipan. What are you waiting for? When will you organize for the benefit of the Rota municipality? There are bills in the Senate that need public education and public hearing,” he added, referring to Senate Bills 22-12, 22-15, 22-16 and 22-20.
He said a Rota resolution requesting the respective committees in the Senate to conduct public hearings on Rota for those Senate bills should also be adopted.
“Let me close by kindly asking you…to organize for the people of Rota,” Ogo told the island’s lawmakers. “I hope I can be invited to the next organizational session to witness the formation of the 22nd Rota Legislative Delegation. Like the Saipan delegation, conduct your session live on the CNMI Legislature’s Facebook and YouTube pages for future references. I appreciate everyone’s understanding.”
Paul Manglona
Donald Manglona
Victor Hocog
Teresita Santos
