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Torres says he may proceed with SOCA after election
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said Thursday that he may proceed with his State of the Commonwealth Address after the Nov. 8 general election.
Torres said that, based on the CNMI Constitution, he does not need to call for a joint legislative session to deliver his SOCA, whether both houses agree or not.
He said the House majority members were complaining they were not invited to his original schedule SOCA date of Oct. 21.
The governor said that, in deference to protocol, he wrote House of Representatives Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) and Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian), CNMI Chief Justice Alexandro Castro, and Superior Court Presiding Judge Roberto C. Naraja about the SOCA and asking them to disseminate the information.
He said as the House majority members were complaining that they were not invited, he cancelled the Nov. 21 and reset it to Oct. 31.
“Again, they didn’t want to do it. They didn’t want to hear it before the election. And they said, it’s politicized. That was not their original complaint. Their original complaint was they were not invited,” Torres said.
The governor said when he invited both the Senate and House members to attend the SOCA on Oct. 31, the Senate agreed with that date, but the House majority wanted to hold a joint session on Dec. 1.
Torres said he wanted to give opportunity to both houses so that the people can come and hear the State of the Commonwealth.
“So it’s an impasse, so I decided to go ahead and postponed it to another time,” he said.
