Senate divided onTinian seat vacancy

The Senate remains undecided on what to do with the seat left vacant by former Sen. Herman Manglona who resigned nearly two months ago, despite appeals from some sectors on Tinian to declare a vacancy to allow the immediate holding of special elections in the island municipality.

Senators have diverse opinions on the case, which is the first ever in the Commonwealth’s history, but it is unlikely they will resolve the differences before the Nov. 1 midterm polls.

Sen. David Cing, who chairs the Credential Committee created by the upper house, said the panel will decide on Manglona’s fate when the court hands down its sentence on the embattled ex-senator in December.

Manglona resigned from the Legislature last September, a day after pleading guilty to the charges filed against him in the U.S. district court in Saipan in connection with federal projects he administered while still mayor of Tinian. The court has scheduled its sentencing on Dec. 21.

Cing said that in his opinion, the committee must await the sentence before concluding its report on the case, noting it agreed to let the federal investigation take its course before Manglona was sworn into office in 1997.

“At that time, we gave conditions for Sen. Manglona because we believed in a democratic system that you are still presumed innocent until proven guilty,” he said in an interview.

“Now that he pleaded guilty, we have to close that report of the Credential Committee, but we can’t at this stage until such time that the sentence is handed down,” added Cing.

This will then be presented to the full Senate for action, after which Manglona’s seat will be considered vacant and elections will be held on Tinian to complete the remaining two years of his term in office.

Other members of the panel, include Rota Sen. Ricardo Atalig and Senate Vice President Thomas P. Villagomez, who have drafted a resolution calling for the special polls. The Senate has not taken any action on the matter since the last time it held session on Sept. 9.

But Cing raised another question on how should Manglona’s resignation be treated. “The full Senate will have to accept the resignation on what fashion,” he asked. “Are we going to conclude our report by saying that Sen. Manglona was a good senator, or has he accidentally committed those (actions)?”

He added: “We have to answer to the people and he also has to answer to the people.”

While not casting doubt on the authority of the Credential Committee, Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes believed it’s about time the vacancy be declared to permit the holding of the elections on Tinian.

“I have to respect the chairman’s position, but there’s no question that a vacancy exists. This did not come about due to a judicial action, but a voluntary action from a member,” he said in a separate interview.

“It is incumbent upon the Senate to establish that fact so that we can meet the requirement before any special polls is held. The people of Tinian deserve to elect a new senator,” added Reyes.