Cruz: We’re not bad people

Sen. Francisco Q. Cruz (R-Tinian) last week said that every single thing that would go wrong in the Legislature, the Republicans would get the blame.

“I think that’s not fair. We’re here to work together for the betterment of everyone,” said Cruz during the Senate’s special session.

He said since the beginning of this 23rd Legislature, he raised the question why Tinian senators are not included in the Executive Appointments and Government Investigations Committee (EAGI) and in the Judiciary, Governmental and Law (JGL).

Sen. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan) chairs the EAGI Committee. She was recently removed as chair of the JGL Committee and replaced with Sen. Karl R. King-Nabors (R-Tinian). The committee chairs are responsible for appointing their members.

In removing Babauta from the JGL Committee, Senate President Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero (D-Saipan) cited numerous pending bills and not holding a committee meeting for eight months. Some members of the majority in the House of Representatives blamed DeLeon Guerrero for several pending bills, including revenue-generating legislations, in the Senate.

Cruz said for him it’s not fair that no Tinian senators are included in the EAGI and JGL committees because it will not allow them to address issues pertaining to Tinian matter.

He said Sen. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) can attest that he previously raised the issue to him (Manglona) as chairman of the Committee on Rules and Procedure that it is important that a member of a second senatorial district (Tinian) should be in that EAGI and JGL Committees.

Cruz said Manglona informed Tinian senators to visit Babauta because apparently, she’s waiting to talk with them in regards to accepting them in that committees.

He said it took him three times to address the matter to Manglona and the latter kept on insisting that Babauta is willing to meet them so that they can be in that committees.

Cruz said after one Senate session, he spoke to his colleague that he would go to Babauta and request Tinian senators be included in the committees.

Cruz said he visited Babauta’s office and they discussed over the membership of the committees and he stated all the reasons why it’s important to be in that committees.

He said Babauta’s response was she will look into that, but then nothing ever happened.

“I feel that we’re not even wanted or she will not accept us to be in that committees,” Cruz said.

He said he does not know why some members of the House of Representatives are blaming the Tinian senators that apparently, they were not accepting to be members of the JGL and EAGI Committees.

“If you’re not wanted in that committee, what can we do?” said Cruz, adding that she noticed a committee report was submitted for Senate action on a session that does not constitute a quorum signature on that committee report.

He said he addressed it to DeLeon Guerrero and even to Senate legal counsel Antonette Villagomez.

“I know that is not against the law, but is it right to submit a committee report when there is no complete signature for that report to go though the session process?” Cruz pointed out.

He said that’s when he believes that Babauta realize that they need a member of the 2nd senatorial district in the two committees.

Cruz said even Sen. Dennis James C. Mendiola (R-Rota) resigned from the two committees in July 2023, there was still a quorum because there are three more members.

“Why were they’re blaming us that all those bills that are sitting in that committee [JGL] is because of us from the second senatorial district, that we’re not accepting to be a member?” he said.

Cruz said he shared with Manglona of the need to amend the rules so that each senatorial district will be a member of any committee.

He said Sen. Corina L. Magofna ( Ind-Saipan) and Vice president Donald M. Manglona (Ind-Rota) invited him to be a member of their committees and that he accepted it.

Cruz said if Babauta invited them, they will accept that, but she never wanted them to be in that JGL Committee.

Babauta stated during a press conference last Tuesday that Cruz was the first member of the Tinian and Aguiguan Legislative Delegation that she appointed to the JGL Committee and that he took his time to decline participation. She said since April 2023, TALD members have refused to participate in meetings of the JGL Committee, effectively stalling important legislation that could benefit residents of Tinian and Aguiguan.

Cruz said during last week’s Senate special session that whoever is blaming the TALD members for the pending bills in the JGL Committee should do the work and find the truth why the members of the second senatorial district are not in that committee.

“We’re not bad Republicans. We’re here to work for the betterment of everyone,” he said.

Cruz said they are very cooperative with any member of this JGL Committee to work with them because they want to alleviate the hardship of the people.

“That’s why we’re here for. We’re not here because of politics. When politics is over, politics is over,” he said.

Cruz said since it’s very close to election time again, some lawmakers come up with something to prove that they’re doing their best and to convince their people to make everybody believe that the Republican senators from Tinian are bad.

“We’re not bad people here. We’re here to work with you guys. Don’t blame us,” he said.

Cruz also stated that he believes that the only hope for the CNMI’s economy is tourists.

He stressed that they don’t have any hope with tax bills as people are suffering.

“Every time we raise taxes, we burden the general public by commodities all going to rise,” he said.

Cruz said he is not supporting any of the pending bills to raise taxes.

Cruz said for him, supporting revenue-generatinf bills by raising taxes does not do any good to members of the community.

“We’re on our austerity measures,” he said.

Cruz said raising taxes, is not only chasing investors, but causing small businesses to close down.

Cruz said Hyatt Regency Saipan is already closing, and by imposing raised taxes to small businesses, the CNMI will lose more money than collect taxes.

“Let’s work together not blame on one another because that’s not right to blame one another. Let’s come together to find ways, find solutions, not to blame on us,” he said.