GOP chooses BB team for ’05 elections

The Babauta-Benavente team is now officially the NMI Republican Party’s standard gubernatorial candidates for this year’s general elections.

This came about after the local GOP central committee, chaired by Public Works Secretary John S. Reyes, chose during a meeting last night to endorse the re-election bid of Gov. Juan N. Babauta and Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente.

“The central committee’s decision is that Babauta-Benavente is the standard bearer,” said Reyes in an interview.

The central committee is composed of the five-member executive committee, five-precinct chairpersons, committeewoman, past GOP presidents, and the governor.

Reyes said that, except for Susan Mafnas, the five-member executive committee favored the Babauta-Benavente team over the tandem of Reps. Heinz S. Hofschneider and David Apatang.

“She [Mafnas] objected to the adoption of the report,” said Reyes.

Mafnas, a sister of former governor Pedro P. Tenorio, is first vice president of GOP.

Other officers are John I. Tenorio, Mariano Taitano (secretary), and Lee Delos Santos (treasurer).

Reyes said the governor did not show up at the meeting.

He said the Hofschneider-Apatang team was removed from consideration primarily because Apatang is not Republican. He noted that the two submitted a joint letter of intent.

“He doesn’t meet the criteria of the by-laws,” said Reyes.

“Heinz is [Republican] but they submitted a joint letter of intent. The letter has to be accepted or not accepted,” he said.

The party’s decision results in the party not having to hold a primary.

“There’s no more primary for gubernatorial because the central committee already decided to accept the report. BB is the standard bearer of the Republican Party,” said Reyes.

The report was submitted by a special panel chaired by former congressman William Lee Torres. Torres’ members included Rita Sablan, Rose Igitol, Edward Maratita from Rota, and Herman Manglona from Tinian.

Reyes said he will officially inform Hofschneider and Apatang about the central committee’s decision in writing.

When asked of possible division within the party, Reyes said, “No, my goal is to unite the party.”

“Whatever it takes, I would like us to realize that we have party by-laws. We have to comply with it. Let’s live with it,” he said.

Hofschneider and Apatang were not immediately available for comments as of press time.

Amid calls for a party primary, the central committee earlier formed a special committee to assess the candidates’ credentials. The report of Torres’s panel’ was submitted to the executive committee last Friday.