CEC’s Igitol recommends certifying candidacies of Rep. John Paul Sablan, 6 others

Commonwealth Election Commission board chair Jesus I. Sablan examines a document as he asks Alfredo Taimanao, who is sitting opposite Sablan, during the CEC board’s hearing yesterday morning, on Taimanao’s appeal of the CEC’s challenge to his candidacy. Taimanao is running for Rota mayor as an independent in the Nov. 8 general election. Also in the photo, clockwise, are assistant attorney general Clark Dela Cruz, board vice chair Esther Yatar, commissioner Leilani Manglona, commissioner Jesus S. Cepeda, Taimanao, deputy attorney general Lillian A. Tenorio, CEC executive director Kayla S. Igitol, and commissioner John Attao. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Commonwealth Election Commission executive director Kayla S. Igitol recommended yesterday that the CEC board certify the candidacies of seven candidates, including long-time Rep. John Paul Sablan (R-Saipan).

Aside from Sablan, Igitol also recommended without a hearing to certify the candidacies of Marissa Flores, Keith William C. Ada, Edward Maratita, Edward Barcinas, Julie Ogo, and Dennis C. Mendiola.

Sablan, a Republican, is seeking his sixth term as a member of the House of Representatives representing Precinct 2, under a unified independent team.

Flores is running for a House Precinct 3 seat, also under the unified independent team.

Ada is running for a House Precinct 2 seat under the Republican Party. It was he who asked the CEC to investigate the residency of Sablan and Flores, who is Ada’s former wife.

Maratita is running for a Senate Rota seat as an independent.

Barcinas and Ogo are seeking election for a House Rota seat as independent candidates.

Mendiola, who is the special assistant for Department of Homeland Security, is running for a Senate Rota seat under the Republican Party.

The CEC did not indicate who challenged the residency of candidates Ada, Maratita, Ogo, and Mendiola.

This developed as CEC board chair Jesus I. Sablan placed under advisement Alfredo T. Taimanao’s appeal of the CEC’s challenge to his candidacy. Taimanao is running for mayor of Rota as an independent.

Taimanao, who appeared at yesterday’s hearing without a lawyer, explained to the board about his residency on Rota. He later allowed his wife, as his witness, to speak before the board.

Taimanao provided some documents, including Commonwealth Utilities Corp. billings, to prove his residency on Rota.

Meanwhile, Edwin Raymond Quitugua, whose candidacy for a seat in the Saipan Municipal Council is being challenged by the CEC for failing to meet residency requirement to run for public office, failed to show up for his scheduled hearing before the CEC board yesterday.

Igitol informed the board that Quitugua called that morning that he would not be able to appear as he’s actually been admitted to the hospital. Igitol said Quitugua requested for an extension of the hearing.

When Saipan Tribune left the CEC’s conference room yesterday before noon, the commissioners were holding an executive session on Quitugua’s case at the suggestion of deputy attorney general Lillian Ada Tenorio, who served as counsel for Igitol at the hearing.

Assistant attorney general Carl Dela Cruz served as the board’s counsel at the hearing/meeting.

In a later interview, Igitol said the CEC is challenging only the candidacies of Taimanao and Quitugua.

With respect to Sablan, Flores, Ada, Maratita, Barcinas, Ogo, and Mendiola, Igitol said the CEC did not challenge their candidacies, but only looked into the challenge letters submitted by some persons who questioned their residency.

Igitol said they examined the documents that the seven candidates provided them pertaining to their respective residency and found them meeting the residency requirement to be eligible to run.

“So after reviewing those documents, I recommended to the board that they be certified,” she said.

As of yesterday, the board has yet to act on Igitol’s recommendations.