Previous Story
Fitial retracts Babauta nominations
|
Posted on Jan 16 2006
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial withdrew on Friday all the nominations and appointments made by his predecessor, former governor Juan N. Babauta.
Fitial’s action would affect at least seven Babauta appointments that were not acted upon by the 14th Senate.
“I am writing to officially withdraw the nominations and appointments previously made by the Office of the Governor. Please disregard the list of appointments sent to you from the previous administration,” Fitial told Senate President Joseph Mendiola.
The new administration will be transmitting a new list of gubernatorial appointments for Senate confirmation, he added.
Press secretary Charles Reyes Jr. said yesterday that the governor was still trying to get a consensus among his administration’s officials regarding board appointments.
In his last two months in office, Babauta nominated eight individuals to serve as members of different boards or commissions.
He re-nominated Benita Manglona to the Marianas Public Lands Authority board of directors; Galvin Deleon Guerrero and Jose C. Sablan to the Northern Marianas College Board of Regents; and Herman R. Guerrero and Juan S. Torres to the Marianas Public Land Trust.
He also named William S. Torres to the Marianas Visitors Authority board of directors; Felicidad T. Ogumoro to the Commonwealth Ports Authority board of directors; and David M. Cing to the Commonwealth Election Commission.
On Dec. 14, 2005, Babauta’s allies in the 14th Senate tried to convene and confirm the appointments but they failed to muster a quorum.
Manglona’s nomination, made on Nov. 14, 2005, lapsed on that day. The Senate has only 30 days to confirm appointments to the MPLA board of directors.
Currently, 10 Fitial nominations for various Cabinet positions are pending in the 15th Senate.
