DPL Secretary slams Taotao Tano

Changes in the race to serve as the CNMI’s first non-voting congressional delegate could be on the horizon after former senator David Cing suspended this week his campaign amid allegations that his brother gained a large plot of homestead land through nepotism.

This comes even as Department of Public Lands Secretary John S. DelRosario blasted Taotao Tano for what he called the “moronically baseless” allegations of impropriety when it came to the homestead allotment granted to Raynaldo Cing, former senator Cing’s brother and DelRosario’s brother-in-law.

The allotment of the homestead land, he said in a statement, was granted long before he took on the role as DPL’s Secretary.

He said a memorandum prepared by the former director of the Homestead Division shows that Ray Cing had applied for an agricultural homestead in 1976 when the NMI was still under the old Trust Territory Government.

“On October 2005, former Deputy Commissioner of DPL Tinian strongly recommended approval of the request submitted by Mr. Cing for the balance or short exchange of 1.5 hectares,” DelRosario said, pointing to an Aug. 18 2006, memo on the approval. “On February 21, 2006, before its abolishment, the [Marians Public Lands Authority] board approved Mr. Cing’s claim for short exchange.”

In light of this approval, he said, “[m]y decision was basically ceremonial, honoring the former agency’s approved disposition.”

The issue had prompted former senator Cing to suspend his campaign as candidate for congressional delegate, saying he wants the Senate to get to the bottom of the matter before he can go ahead with his candidacy.

DelRosario said that Cing can return to the campaign trail “for your brother’s case is now clear. Next time a brief phone call to DPL would suffice and you need not be scared of a paper tiger.”

During a candidate forum Tuesday night, some contenders for the delegate post said Cing’s departure could change the shape of the race. Candidate and the CNMI’s current resident representative in Washington, DC, Pete A. Tenorio, said he would seek Cing’s backing in the election.

“He certainly has a lot of knowledge about the politics of the Commonwealth and the history of the political development of the islands,” said Tenorio. “I wish that he had stayed on so that he could at least educate our people on so many things that we need to know before the election.”

With one less name in the race, the suspension of Cing’s campaign could prove an advantage to some contenders. One candidate, John Davis, pointed to Cing’s strong political influence and said he did have a reasonable chance of winning the election.

“I think this is sad,” he said. “I think Mister Cing brought some interesting vitality—and that’s true—to the arena.”

And the race after Cing’s departure, he added, will likely shift.

“The race is less for it,” he said. “He would have been a good candidate. I think he had a very strong chance.”