(Press Release) — The following statement from Sen. Paul A. Manglona is in response to Judge Pro Tem Timothy H. Bellas’ dismissal of the taxpayer lawsuit that sought the court’s intervention in the impeachment proceedings for Gov. Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres:
“From the standpoint of the vital public interests we seek to protect on behalf of the CNMI community at large, the order recently issued by Judge Timothy Bellas — in our bid to intervene and obtain a temporary restraining order relating to the pending impeachment proceedings — is very much welcome, somewhat surprising, and extraordinarily appreciated.
“Many if not most of the attorneys and legal experts predicted that our motions would be swiftly, flat out, and summarily denied, by the CNMI Superior Court.
“Instead, Judge Bellas exercised his discretion, and provided his wisdom, in the form of an expedited written order, in which he not only accorded us an opportunity to request a court hearing on our pending motions but, in so doing, made clear to all, some of the issues and areas of consideration we shall, at that hearing, be permitted to address, clarify, and advocate, for the court.
“Additionally, this ruling by Judge Bellas, promotes the notions of judicial expediency and judicial economy, in that Judge Bellas is one of the few jurists not conflicted as to matters involving Governor Torres and, therefore, our motions will not be delayed by necessity of the Judiciary otherwise having to expend time, effort, and resources in locating, retaining, and funding yet another off-island pro tempore judge to assist in our matter; rather, Judge Bellas will address our concerns, derived from allegedly illicit expenditures of CNMI taxpayer’s funds, and breaches of fiduciary, in an already pending CNMI civil action, under authority of our NMI Commonwealth Constitution which, at Article X, Section 9, provides to all CNMI taxpayers, including Ms. Guerrero and myself, the explicit constitutional right to: ‘bring an action against the government or one of its instrumentalities in order to enjoin the expenditure of public funds for other than public purposes or for a breach of fiduciary duty.’
“We as a community, including ourselves as the movants cannot thank Judge Bellas enough, for providing us with swift, fair, due process, and this opportunity to be heard and considered by the court in this matter.
“We also look forward to our hearing in court, and express our sincere appreciation and utmost thanks to the overwhelming numbers of CNMI residents who have expressed support for our advocacy in seeking to protect their essential public interests as to the matters we have brought to the court’s attention, including so many who wish to remain anonymous out of fear of political and personal retaliation against themselves, their families, and their loved ones, should they not remain anonymous.
“Neither Ms. Guerrero nor myself are attorneys. We cannot afford to hire a lawyer to represent us in this matter. And, unfortunately, no lawyer has been available for a pro bono or cost-free appearance on our behalf.
“But, regardless, Ms. Guerrero and I shall continue to advocate on our own, as pro se litigants, in an effort to protect and promote the welfare of the CNMI community as a whole.
“We extend a warm and heartfelt ‘Si Yu’us Ma’ase!’ to Judge Bellas, and to the CNMI’s community as a whole.”
Sen. Paul A. Manglona gestures while speaking during a Senate session Friday.
