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Committee that will probe Propst will swear in members Friday
Public allowed to issue statements at the meeting
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Posted on Dec 15 2021
The newly formed House of Representatives Special Standing Committee on Official Conduct and Ethics that will look into the ethics complaint against Rep. Edwin K. Propst (D-Saipan) will swear in its members this Friday.
Rep. Donald M. Manglona (Ind-Rota), who chairs the Ethics Committee, informed House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) and all committee members yesterday about their first meeting in the House chamber at 1pm.
Aside from swearing-in the committee’s members, Manglona said they are also going to adopt the committee rules.
Anyone who would like to issue statements will be allowed as part of the meeting’s agenda.
The six other committee members are Reps. Sheila J. Babauta (D-Saipan), Angel A. Demapan (R-Saipan), Joseph Lee Pan T. Guerrero (R-Saipan), Corina L. Magofna (D-Saipan), Patrick H. San Nicolas (R-Tinian), and Leila C. Staffler (D-Saipan).
Citing official House rules, Villagomez earlier said “each member [of the committee] shall make an affirmation, under oath, that he will perform his duties…and…will not disclose confidential information acquired by him as a result of his participation in the work of the committee.”
It was Grace “Pitu” Sablan Vaiagae, who is a counselor and an advocate for the rights of abused women, who filed the ethics complaint against Propst last Nov. 9 over allegations that he had sex with several underaged women approximately 20 years ago when he was still a teacher at Marianas High School and an employee at the Northern Marianas College.
Propst has denied the allegations. He earlier also stated that Villagomez had spoken to him about the formation of the Ethics Committee and that he welcomes it.
