Sen. Teresita Santos (I-Rota) said many of her constituents want to know how she will vote, when the CNMI Senate takes up the Articles of Impeachment against Gov. Ralph Torres.
“It would be premature at this time to state whether I am in support or not in support to the removal of the governor from office,” Ms. Santos wrote, in response to Kandit’s question to her and five of her colleagues on whether they will vote to remove the governor from office. “I must first consider all evidence, hear witness, thoroughly review each article of impeachment, the applicable rule of the law and etc before rendering a decision.”
Ms. Santos was the only one of six senators to respond to Kandit’s email requesting their position on the matter. The others were Senate president Jude Hofschneider and Francisco Cruz of Tinian, Victor Hocog of Rota, and Justo Quitugua and Vinnie Sablan of Saipan. Mr. Sablan already has indicated his support for his political running mate, Mr. Torres; but, Kandit wants to know whether the senator will recognize any conflict of interest.
Hofschneider, Cruz, Hocog, Quitugua, and Santos’s Senate seats all are up for re-election this year, placing these senators in a particular political bind if they are running to keep their seats. The CNMI House of Representatives in January tossed the political hot potato of the decade into the Senate’s lap, when it politically indicted the governor and sent six Articles of Impeachment to the upper chamber. If, after trial, at least six senators vote to convict the governor on even one of the articles, Mr. Torres will be removed from office and barred from holding public office for life.
The weight of that decision is serious for the Rota senator.
“As a public servant,” Ms. Santos wrote to Kandit, “I swore that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the CNMI. That I will faithfully discharge my duties to the best of my ability, so help me God!”
Her colleague from Rota, Sen. Paul Manglona, and the only other female senator, Edith Deleon Guerrero, have signaled their support for the removal of the governor from office. If Ms. Santos joins them, at least three more senators will need to vote with them on at least one of the six articles of impeachment in order for the governor to be removed.
Mr. Hofschneider has yet to set the trial.
The clock is ticking, and the people are counting their votes.
3 Comments
Frank Agulto
02/13/2022 at 2:06 AM
All of what is being faced and honesty under harm consideration, and going to the impartial “Cognitive Resonance” principles not just of one of the 9 Senators that were voted, but, by the “authority” of the known “sovereignty” of encasing what and who to make the “representation” of the “electoral electing region”. Also, the value-added by faithful certainty as being said here as a key and cue where it is the “duty” and “responsibility” to defend, protect, and support the Mariana Islands constitution and “laws” enacted and codified by sanctioned governing principles, and fair and just for benefactors of all the Mariana Islands and Her people, also known as the “pue’blo” or the “community culture of people of the Mariana Islands”. So, the unknown possibility could be the “puzzle” framework that is grooming and just finding the “political correctness” more than the applicable laws, hence, the “pue’blo” of the Social reality of the Mariana Islands’ people also expecting that each of the 9 Senators elected to represent their given “constituent” needs and wants of the “electoral region”, and the “law” of the spiritual home of this “Mariana Islands’ People”. In the “science” of human actions and propensity, it is not surprising for a “human being” to examine and observe a living organism such as “non-human” structure, but the world of “nature’s” drama and actual factual display of “reality” that affects and draws a base for “learning” and consideration within the “human being” in order to cause a good and sampling way to live and by living for what turns to be the “best” of “better”. Here for the logic, and not to sweep out without the basis for what could caused the “effectual” control of “self-deception”, “self-rightness”, “independence or dependence”, and no-one to influence what is the “general or universal rule” that “each” Senator of the Mariana Islands to decide for the “benefit” of a given constituents of their homeward frame of social grouping, and human psychology of each “pue’blo” person which the real and reality parting for true representation, and footing of dealing fairly and justly without the “play” of political correctness that has been the past humanity ways. The “evidence” is the “facts” whether “good” or “bad”. In the “human” factoring by “learned philosophers” the story that telling the part of the “social culture” and it seems that this “out-group” where opinions and contradictions surfacing as “real of reality”, and this is acceptable, but for some rationalization within the “social structure of a people of the pue-blo of the Mariana Islands” this contradictions in terms (self-deception) is just like an “insect” colony that draws similar ways as one in the “human” structure of “societal” rules. However, this causal effect is impossible at the outset. How can the self deceive the self? When one starts wondering and wandering how the “colony” of insects and in other social or societal structure of other than human structure like the “la’gua fish”, then certain demonstration of the “life” and “living” of the fish colony could be applied to “human sociology if not persona psychology” as it were. In the “la-gua fish” colony one observer could observe that a “male” fish that lives its entire adult life “pretending” to be a female and hooks up with the out-group of males sharing the underwater rock holes and homeward protective wedges, so this principle of this fish is a way to drive concert of life ways with the territory-holding males in order to “steal” paternity of eggs laid and propagated in marked space of their territories by real females “la’gua fish”. This is exactly how social structure that is just the same as in human life manners. It is not that out of touch for a learned philosopher to dismiss, or not valuable to peg against that of an “ant hill colony” could be carefully observed and applicable principles could tell what the us of the “humanity” similarly situated than insects or fishes in the cut up wedges of rocks formation of the bed-rock surface of ocean ground.
If an “ant hill” or “wedge bed-rock of lag’gua fish” is a place of “real of reality”, then perhaps it is not surprising for any “Senator” elected to represent the “electoral region” of electing constituents that drags and engages in “political correctness” as their only safeguard under “universal rule” to apply for political purpose. A reasoned “mind-over-matter” without rationalization to air out like “farting” for what is to “language” carefully for what to say for what wanting by “constituents” to hear on as in generality format, without knowing what is “social culture” or “persona psychology” as it were.
It seems that “Secrecy or Secret” is going to be the “drafting” rule for the “in-group” Senators, 6 of them out a total of 12 pieces, that peeling without caring for the “needs” and “benefits” of the “electoral electors” of the measured electing region that is and will to represent. So, what is “Secrecy or Secret”? Hoping that in “Cha’mor’ro” language words could be translated from the “English” vocabulary and then “speaking of Universal Understanding” could be part of the suggestion. Hence, one could just try to find out a little bit accepting, and so that what is “Secret” could be splattered into “expanded diversity” just in “Cha-mor’ro and English” version to understand what “Secret” means of the understanding level of lawful and legal sanctioned Senators elected by “electoral electors” in the Mariana Islands. Secret could mean the same as any as follows: hidden, dark, concealed, veiled, invisible, obscure, recondite, cryptic, arcane, abstruse, esoteric, cabbalistic, inexplicable, incomprehensible, impenetrable, unrevealed, puzzling, perplexing, mystifying, mystical, enigmatic, hermetic, hermit shell, and many others in “language” that could serve to know and understand.
Many of Us could be trying in earnest trying in effortful logic to just going in the process of “asking” and “ask” any trustful and honest “Senators” of the Mariana Islands House of Senate to come out and declare what is for the “benefit” and “need” of the Mariana Islands Pue’blo. This “governor” could not just “seek” for “Blind Amnesty” from elected Senators seating to represent the critical mass of the electoral electors of all the Mariana Islands. Just apply what is “universal laws” that would conclude and close this “travesty” and “tragedy” if peace and “Love” of the Social Culture of the “Pue’blo” of the Mariana Islands now and what will as the fact actually to “stay home in the Mariana Islands”.
Frank Agulto
02/13/2022 at 2:22 AM
Thanks for that.
Albert Sablan Palacios
02/17/2022 at 11:39 AM
What is there to weigh? grow up Senators!!!