THE Senate on Friday confirmed the appointment of former Speaker Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero as the new secretary of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.
Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero, center, with senators, family members, Tinian Mayor Edwin Aldan, right, and Press Secretary Kevin Bautista following a public hearing at the Tinian Court House on Dec. 2, 2020.
Office of the Governor photo
The Senate also unanimously confirmed the appointments of new board members of the Commonwealth Development Authority and the Northern Marianas Housing Corp.
All the senators voted to adopt the committee report recommending the confirmation of the governor’s six nominees during the Senate session.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigation, Sen. Frank Q. Cruz, told his colleagues that his committee received five written and heard 35 oral testimonies in support of Deleon Guerrero’s appointment.
He said based on these testimonies and Deleon Guerrero’s credentials, experiences and goals for the department, the committee is convinced that the nominee has the qualifications and leadership skills necessary to serve as secretary of DCCA.
Deleon Guerrero served as director of DCCA’s Historic Preservation Office before he was elected to the House of Representatives.
Speaking on behalf of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Press Secretary Kevin Bautista said Deleon Guerrero has served the public for 34 years now.
The former speaker “has a love for cultural preservation and will work with the Legislature, our community and our government agencies to protect our cultural identity here in the Marianas,” Bautista said.
Also confirmed by the Senate were the nominations of Jocelyn T. King of Tinian and Michael S. Sablan of Saipan to the CDA board; and Merced M. Tomokane of Saipan, Eric J. Reyes of Tinian and Vinney Atalig-Hocog of Rota to the NMHC board.
Tomokane and Hocog were members of the board when NMHC was still under CDA.
In September, the governor issued Executive Order No. 2020-21 to separate NMHC from CDA.
