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Reyes says resignation is up to Villagomez
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Posted on Aug 13 2008
Senate President Pete P. Reyes said yesterday that Lt. Gov. Timothy Villagomez is a good administrator and that resignation is a decision that he needs to do by himself.
“I’m not going to suggest to him what to do,” said Reyes in an interview with Saipan Tribune.
He said he is hoping that Villagomez can convince the federal court that he is innocent and go back to his job as lieutenant governor.
Reyes said he feels bad about the indictment because Villagomez is a very good friend and a former colleague in the Legislature.
“He is a good administrator and most of all he is family. He’s a very close relative,” the senator said.
At the same time, he said he is relieved to know that Villagomez pleaded not guilty.
“I hope and pray that he will be able to come out of this, proving his innocence,” he said. “The wonderful thing about democracy and the way a republican form of government is being operated is that a person is not guilty until he or she is proven guilty.”
Reyes pointed out that Villagomez is supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A check yesterday afternoon showed that it was business as usual at the lieutenant governor’s office. His staff refused to say whether Villagomez reported for work or not. His legal counsel, Teresa Kim, was not available for comments.
Villagomez, his sister Joaquina Villagomez Santos, her husband Commerce Secretary James Santos, and former Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Anthony Guerrero were indicted Monday on charges of conspiring to bilk the CMMI and U.S. governments out of thousands of dollars through business deals involving needless chemical purchases for CUC.
