‘House leadership still in control’

With the House minority effecting a session to be cancelled and a popular initiative panel report getting rejected, is the House leadership still in control?

“Yes, we still have the numbers,” said House leadership spokesman Charles P. Reyes Jr., quickly dismissing any possibility of a coup d’etat at this time.

“Frankly, we don’t expect any coup attempt,” he said.

He said the minority bloc members could not afford to create such a scene during an election year.

“If they are to go for a coup, they’d be going back on their word. They openly stated they would not initiate that. Second, they would create an appearance of instability that the House has not been known for unlike the Senate by contrast. Third, it would create more bitterness and animosity and may backfire on election day. I don’t think it would be prudent for the minority members to engage in such a move,” said Reyes.

Despite some perceived setbacks felt by the leadership lately—boycott by minority members and defeat of the leadership’s proposed part-time legislature report—Reyes said, “we still feel confident.”

“We continue to diligently work hard to address the issues despite the challenges that are presented to us,” he said.

The defeat of the panel report, he said, actually exposed that the minority lawmakers do not support the part-time legislature proposal, which is projected to promote cost-effectiveness as it saves the government at least $2 million a year.

Interestingly, he said, Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider seemed to have showed “inconsistency” in the latter’s push for public participation.

He cited that just recently Hofschneider’s camp expressed great disappointment over the ruling Republican Party’s denial of a primary to allow Hofschneider to challenge the incumbent governor for the gubernatorial post in this year’s election.

Yet, Hofschneider does not support putting the popular initiative on the ballot.

“It seems to be a logical reason that there seems to be some inconsistency,” he said.

Further, Reyes said that it is but proper to allow the voters to decide on the proposed reduction of the Legislature’s budget, citing that in the past, the public had decided on increasing it from about $2 million to $5 million.

“There was an initiative to raise the maximum cap on the Legislature’s budget. It was approved by the Legislature and it was brought to the people to vote, and people did vote for it. The point is the Legislature had allowed the people to decide. Unfortunately, some of the representatives are not willing to let the people decide on it now,” he said.

The committee report, Standing Committee Report 14-134, which recommends the part-time Legislature in the CNMI failed to pass the House Friday after the minority bloc voted against it.

The report received nine “no” votes and eight “yes” votes.

Voicing a strong opposition was Hofschneider who considers the proposal “a self-insult.”

Hofschneider said that adopting the report, which was prepared by the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations, is admitting that they “are inept and incapable of delivering effective service.”

The initiative, authored by first-time congressman Clyde Norita, aims to amend Article II of the Constitution to abolish each lawmaker’s salary of $39,300 and reduce members’ operational funds from $155,000 to $50,000 each.

The committee panel, however, raised the cap to $75,000.

Under the proposal, the salary of the legislators would be based on their attendance in sessions and committee meetings.

Hofshneider has challenged the initiative proponents to reduce their budget first “and see if you can effectively do your work serving your constituents….”

He said proponents could also just remit back any of their excess funds to the Treasury without having to amend the Constitution.

Other minority bloc members said the proponents should better present “a more substantive argument other than the cost.”

For his part, Rep. Joseph Deleon Guerrero warned that a part-time Legislature would only open up to influence peddling, resulting in the CNMI having “a special interest Legislature.”

The proposal allows lawmakers to work in the private sector and assume government positions except those appointed by the governor.

The JGO committee, chaired by Rep. Jesus Lizama, said that with 27 legislators in the CNMI—18 House members and nine senators – the total operating fund is $4.2 million.

At a $75,000 funding cap for each legislator, the government would save over $2.1 million.

Aside from Hofschneider and Deleon Guerrero, other members who voted “no” to the panel’s report were Reps. David Apatang, Jesus Attao, Ray Tebuteb, Benjamin Seman, and Arnold I. Palacios.

From the leadership, two members voted against the measure: newcomer Rep. Janet Maratita and Tinian Rep. Norman S. Palacios.

Those who favored the part-time legislature were Reps. Martin Ada, Oscar Bababuta, Jesus Lizama, Norita, Crispin Ogo, Justo Quitugua, vice speaker Timothy Villagomez, and House speaker Benigno R. Fitial.

The initiative is not totally defeated as only the panel report was rejected by some members.