EAGI hearing: A soap in the making

The public hearing held yesterday for Dr. Jack Tenorio’s nomination as Secretary of the Department of Labor and Immigration saw a number of firsts that had the gallery spectators on an emotional roller-coaster ride.

Tenorio shook the chamber and had several spectators crying when he asked the entire Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations to just reject his nomination if his integrity would only be compromised during the hearing—the first time that a Cabinet nominee has asked for outright rejection.

When told about this, Gov. Juan N. Babauta promptly sped to the Senate and—for the first time, too, in the history of the CNMI—personally testified in behalf of Tenorio, stressing the integrity and the capabilities of the nominee before the Senate panel.

At the end of the two-hour hearing, the general mood was that Tenorio’s confirmation would go through, signaled mostly by the change of heart on the part of committee member Sen. Ricardo S. Atalig, who had earlier strenuously vowed to block Tenorio’s nomination.

Babauta himself said the likelihood of Tenorio’s eventual confirmation seems high after yesterday’s public hearing. “It appears and I get a sense from the statements made by the committee members and the chairman that Dr. Jack is going to be confirmed pretty unanimously.”

Babauta later told reporters that, when he was informed that Tenorio had told the committee to reject his nomination, “that prompted concern on my part and I felt it necessary for me to come to the Senate to testify personally in behalf of a nominee.”

He said he did this for numerous reasons but, most importantly, “I felt very strongly about the nominee. He is a man that personifies integrity and honesty and if there’s any department here in the CNMI that needs that, above and beyond anything else, it’s the Department of Labor and Immigration.”

The Governor related that, based on the accomplishments made by Tenorio in the short period that he has been acting DOLI Secretary, he has done many things to begin to turn the department around.

It will be remembered that Atalig had earlier vowed, together with Senate Floor Leader Joaquin G. Adriano, to vow Tenorio’s nomination due to his failure to put up a marina on Rota when he was still Lands and Natural Resources Secretary. Atalig had said he would lobby hard with other committee members to reject Tenorio.

In possible anticipation of hostile questions that he said may only force him to compromise and answer in a manner that would only serve to secure his appointment, Tenorio said he would rather that the entire committee just reject him outright.

Several spectators were seen shedding tears and the tense atmosphere inside the upper chamber, as well as the unique situation presented by Tenorio’s request, prompted committee chair Sen. David M. Cing to call for a five-minute recess.

Cing later explained that he called for the recess to ascertain the motive and intentions of Tenorio, “because if he really wanted to be rejected, I want the Governor to withdraw his nomination and submit a new name.”

When the hearing resumed, Atalig withdrew his opposition to Tenorio’s nomination, saying that, after thinking it over and evaluating Tenorio’s performance in the last few weeks, he is forced to conclude that Tenorio is the right man for the job at DOLI.

Sen. Ramon S. Guerrero, as is his wont, charged Tenorio never to compromise in how he runs the department.