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Senate confirms 6 more Palacios appointees
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Posted on Apr 27 2023
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, second from left, and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, rightmost, on Wednesday administered the oath of office to Tracy B. Norita, third from left, to serve as Finance secretary; Teresita A. Santos, inset, to serve as Public Lands secretary; Donna M. Flores, third from right, to serve on the CNMI Scholarship Office board of directors; Joseph P. Fitial, second from right, to serve as a member of the Civil Service Commission; and Denn M. Manglona, leftmost, to serve as a member of the Board of Professional Licensing. (OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR)
The Senate confirmed yesterday the appointment of former senator Teresita A. Santos for the position of the Department of Public Lands secretary and former senator Ray N. Yumul for the position of Department of Public Works secretary, as well as four others for various board, department, and commission positions.
The Senate also confirmed the appointments of Tracy B. Norita to serve as Department of Finance secretary, Denn M. Manglona to serve as a member of the Board of Professional Licensing, Rufo T. Mafnas to serve as a member of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. board of directors, and Joseph Patrick P. Fitial as a member of the Civil Service Commission.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios immediately swore in five of the newly-confirmed appointees in a ceremony at the Office of the Governor’s conference room.
All nine senators voted to adopt the report of the Senate Executive Appointments and Government Investigations that recommended the confirmation of the the appointments of Santos, Yumul, Mafnas, and Fitial.
Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang congratulates Denn M. Manglona, who was confirmed to serve as a member of the Board of Professional Licensing representing Rota. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)
Former governor Benigno R. Fitial and his wife, Josie, and their daughter, pose with their son, Joseph Patrick P. Fitial, who was confirmed to serve as a member of the Civil Service Commission. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)
Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian) congratulates Ray N. Yumul, who was confirmed as Department of Public Works secretary. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)
Former governor Benigno R. Fitial and his wife, Josie, attended the session; Joseph Fitial is their son.
Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang was also present at the session and congratulated the appointees.
Eight senator voted “yes” to confirm Norita’s appointment. EAGI Committee chair Sen. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan) abstained as Norita is her niece.
Seven senators voted “yes” to confirm the appointment of Denn Manglona. Sens. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) and Donald M. Manglona (Ind-Rota) abstained. The appointee is son of Sen. Paul Manglona and cousin of Sen. Donald Manglona.
Santos thanked the senators for their unanimous support of her confirmation. She said there is a lot of work to be done, and each day is a unique learning experience, given the diverse challenges impacting public lands in all three senatorial districts.
“Nonetheless, DPL applies an open-door policy and will continue to work collaboratively with our CNMI leaders, clientele and the general public,” she said.
In a separate interview, Yumul said he is thankful to the Senate for their confidence in him. Citing the many DPW projects and programs, Yumul said there is a lot of work to be done in the department.
