REPRESENTATIVE Ralph N. Yumul said he is a Republican who shares the same ideals as House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, an Independent allied with the Democrats.
Yumul supported Villagomez instead of his fellow Republican Rep. Ivan A. Blanco in the election for speaker during the House organizational session last week.
House Floor Leader Ralph N. Yumul, right, listens to Rep. Joel Camacho, left back to the camera, during a break from the organizational session last week. Also in photo is Rep. John Paul Sablan, center, being congratulated by a family member.
Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano
Yumul, however, supported Republican Rep. Angel Demapan for speaker in the first three roll-call votes that ended in a 10-10 tie. Yumul then said it was “the last time he was voting for an impasse.”
When Demapan withdrew from the speakership race, the Republicans nominated Blanco who lost to Villagomez 9-11.
“I’m still a Republican,” Yumul reiterated, adding that he ran with Villagomez as independent candidates in the 2014 and 2016 elections.
Voting for Villagomez as speaker does not necessarily make him a Democrat, said Yumul who defeated Demapan in the election for floor leader, 11-9, with the support of the Democrats and their two independent allies.
Yumul said he could be the Republicans’ “contact” in the House leadership when there is a need to push legislation endorsed by the Republican administration of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.
“So there is a lot of possible administration bills that I might be able to move to help the CNMI,” Yumul said. “The administration can ask me to get stuff done in the House that would benefit the CNMI in moving forward.”
“I am not a Democrat,” he added, “but in order for the CNMI to move forward the impasse had to be broken,” referring to the previous 10-10 deadlock in the House.
He said his priority right now is to introduce revenue-generating bills, “and hopefully, we can come to be together both sides and have a productive Legislature.”
The eight other Republicans and their independent ally chose Blanco to be the House minority leader. Republican Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao, who supported Demapan and Blanco, was unanimously elected vice speaker.
