‘Peeping tom was reason for parking memo’

Senate President Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan) disclosed yesterday that a peeping tom/stalker was the reason why she issued a memorandum regarding Senate members’ parking assignments.

“The assigned stalls are for the elected officials’ safety and security,” said DeLeon Guerrero in her response to Saipan Tribune’s request for comments about Sen. Celina R. Babauta’s (D-Saipan) statement that a longstanding dysfunctional leadership has plagued the Senate for the past 16 months.

Babauta also disclosed during a press conference that she called Tuesday in her office, that her rift with the president started over a petty issue—parking space designation.

DeLeon Guerrero said yesterday that a day before their inauguration in January 2023, a pitbull was walking freely in the Legislature.

“Imagine an employee or member or member’s child/family who could have been there in the facility unaware that a pitbull is walking freely inside the facility and gets attacked by the pitbull. This is dysfunctional, scary, unacceptable, dangerous, deadly, etc.,” the Senate president said.

She said the owner of the pitbull is the same employee who is the peeping tom.

Regarding parking space issue, DeLeon Guerrero said initially, Babauta’s original assignment is where Sen. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) parks now.

She said Babauta and Manglona switched parking spots on their own.

“It’s the truth and no I don’t control parking lots,” DeLeon Guerrero said.

On April 26, 2023, the Senate president issued a memorandum addressed to Legislative Bureau director Perry John P. Tenorio, stating that it appears that some legislative members’ staff are utilizing the assigned spaces for Senate members.

“This is not right and must stop immediately,” said DeLeon Guerrero in the memorandum.

The president said the assigned parking slots are assigned a letter for security reasons.

DeLeon Guerrero said yesterday that the memorandum is necessary because the peeping tom parks in Babauta’s assigned space which is next to her (DeLeon Guerrero).

She said the person was permitted to park in Babauta’s space, but he stopped parking there when the peeping tom issue came up.

Further, she said, a senator informed her that the same individual twice peeked into her vehicle while she was sitting in her car.

DeLeon Guerrero said the same peeping tom/stalker walked twice into her office while she was alone, and stopped and just stared at her, then left.

She said the same peeping tom would look into other elected officials’ offices located in the hallway outside the conference room back door.

The Senate president said, in fact, she brought this concern to a House of Representatives member whose office is being peeked onto as well.

“None of these are petty but serious issues,” DeLeon Guererro pointed out.

Babauta called the press conference in response to DeLeon Guerrero’s recent decision to remove her as chairwoman of the Committee on Judiciary, Government and Law and replaced her with Sen. Karl R. King-Nabors (R-Tinian).

DeLeon Guerrero cited numerous pending bills and not holding a committee meeting for eight months in reaching out her decision. She also discussed her decision during the Senate special session on Monday.

Babauta said Tuesday that since their inauguration, there have been no leadership meetings despite repeated requests from members of the leadership.

Babauta said DeLeon Guerrero has just refused to call for a leadership meeting.

Regarding parking space, on May 2, 2023, Babauta wrote a letter to Legislative Bureau director Tenorio, stating that while DeLeon Guerrero does have the authority to assign Senate parking slots, Rule 13, Section 4 does not provide that the Senate president has the control to micromanage how the slot is used.