Gov. Eloy S. Inos is leaning toward delivering his first State of the Commonwealth Address in early May, press secretary Angel Demapan said yesterday. The governor has also been \u201ctentatively\u201d scheduled as guest speaker on Tuesday\u2019s Rotary Club of Saipan membership meeting for the first time as governor.<\/p>\n
Senate President Ralph Torres (R-Saipan) and House Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) separately said yesterday there is no particular date set yet for the SOCA, but Torres said it would be held in the House chamber on Capital Hill.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe governor is leaning toward the first part of May,\u201d Demapan said, adding that the governor has already been crafting the outline of his SOCA.<\/p>\n
Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), meanwhile, suggested the week of April 21 \u201cafter Holy Week, when Congress will not be in session.\u201d<\/p>\n
The speaker and president invited Inos to appear before a joint session of the Legislature to present a SOCA. The Legislature also invited the delegate to \u201creport on the accomplishments of your office and your goals and objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sablan said he looks forward to talking about what he has been able to accomplish and what lies ahead. \u201cAnd there is certainly plenty to report,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He said as the CNMI\u2019s first delegate to U.S. Congress, he is very aware that whatever he does sets precedent. One of those was to \u201creport regularly to the people I work for.\u201d <\/p>\n
Five years ago, Sablan started the practice of town hall meetings, opened offices on Rota, Tinian, and Saipan, and began sending out weekly e-newsletters and a biannual printed report to constituents. He keeps in touch with the media in person when he is on island and by e-mail. He set up a toll-free number so that constituents can easily call him or speak to any of the congressional staff. He also has an active dialog with constituents \u201cwho want to share their thoughts through e-mails, letters, and on Facebook where I answer anyone\u2019s questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFuture delegates may choose different means to communicate and report to constituents, but I think I have definitely set a standard for letting people know what their delegate is doing. Now because of this concern about setting precedent, I think it would not be appropriate for me to take any action that would obligate any future delegate to Congress to appear before the Legislature. Being clear about that, however, I do appreciate the invitation from the Legislature and have let the presiding officers know when I can be available,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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