SENATOR Paul A. Manglona said the Senate should immediately act on Senate Resolution 22-14, which he and the other minority bloc member, Edith Deleon Guerrero, have introduced.
The resolution proposes to adopt the rules prepared by the Senate for the impeachment trial of then-Gov. Benigno R. Fitial in February 2013. Fitial resigned before the Senate could hold a trial.
In his remarks during a session on Thursday, Manglona said he had urged his colleagues to work jointly with the House in carrying out legislative inquiries into Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ public expenditures.
“However, my request was never considered,” he added.
“Today, I am sure that each of us are all being pressured by members of the public to do something about these alleged violations of government funds and public trust, especially with House Resolution 22-14, impeaching Governor Torres for the commission of felonies, corruption, and neglect of duty,” Manglona said as he “respectfully” asked his colleagues to immediately act on Senate Resolution 22-14.
“Why do we need to adopt the impeachment rules right away? First, as I stated earlier, H.R. 22-14 [the House impeachment resolution] has already been transmitted to the Senate. Under the…Senate rules [for then-Governor Fitial’s impeachment trial] ‘a senator should not initiate, permit, or consider ex parte communications with the House Prosecutor and his or her staff, the Governor and his counsel or staff of the Governor or his counsel, or consider ex parte communications or other communications made to the Senator outside the presence of the parties concerning the impeachment pending before the Senate. This rule along with the others is crucial to ensure the integrity of the impeachment hearing process,” Manglona said as he asked the Senate leadership to move on with the impeachment hearings without delay.
“Of utmost concern for all of us, I’m sure, is getting back to our main legislative business of facing our colossal financial challenges of the CNMI and recovering our economy gradually to some form of ‘economic normality’ of the post-pandemic world,” he said.
Also on Thursday, Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider gave the Senate Committees on Judiciary, Government, Law and Federal Relations, and Executive Appointments and Government Investigations 14 calendar days to come up with the rules for the impeachment trial of Gov. Torres who has denied the allegations against him.
He will be removed from office if six of the nine senators vote for his conviction.
Paul A. Manglona
