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Retired DPS official Babauta files his candidacy
Retired Department of Public Safety official Franklin Reyes Babauta pose in a group photo with family members, supporters, and independent candidates outside the Commonwealth Election Commission in Susupe Saturday morning. Babauta filed his candidacy as an independent candidate for House precinct 1. (Ferdie de la Torre)
Franklin Reyes Babauta, a retired official of the Department of Public Safety, has filed his candidacy papers as an independent bet for House of Representatives Precinct 1.
Surrounded by family members, supporters, and other independent candidates, Babauta submitted his petition for nomination at the Commonwealth Election Commission in Susupe Saturday morning.
Juan N. Babauta and Dr. Rita Sablan, who are running for governor and lieutenant governor as independent candidate, respectively, also showed up at CEC to show their support.
The election will take place this Nov. 6.
“This is Babauta’s first time to run for public office, shortly after he filed his candidacy for Precinct 1. That covers San Antonio, San Vicente, Koblerville, and part of Finasisu. There are six House seats for this precinct.
Babauta, who used to be the DPS deputy commissioner of administration, said his friends and supporters “pushed me to provide the experiences that I have had from my work in the past…as a teacher, a police officer, and in the military.
Babauta retired from the U.S. Army in 2015 with a rank of lieutenant colonel. His last tour of duty was with the security forces advisory team in Afghanistan and as one of the lieutenant colonels there in “Operation Enduring Freedom” in southern Afghanistan.
“We were there advising the government officials there and the military officials about running military side and also the government,” he said.
Babauta has experience commanding troops in both war time and in peace time missions.
He commanded Echo Company here at the Army Reserve when they went to Iraq in 2005 and 2006.
In 2007, Babauta moved to Guam and joined the Guam Army National Guard. He was then deployed to Afghanistan.
Babauta commanded the battalion embedded training team in the eastern part Afghanistan.
Babauta went back to Guam where he then commanded for almost three years with Guam Army National Guard Element.
