Diego Benavente: I’ll be back

Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente may have had suffered a painful electoral defeat this year, but his passion to serve the CNMI remains strong.

Without making a specific timeline, Benavente, 46, said that he would still seek an elective post.

“I want to come back. There’s no question about it. I want to come back given an opportunity,” he said in an interview.

Benavente is believed to be eyeing a run for the gubernatorial seat in the 2009 general elections.

He declined to comment on this issue, hinting it is premature to discuss the matter publicly.

As far as he is concerned, he said, “I’ll stay loyal to my party. I look forward to bringing the party back in the elections.”

He said he owes a lot to the Republican Party.

“I’ll be there. I’ll continue to support the party,” he said.

In a separate interview, Gov. Juan N. Babauta aired a similar commitment of support to the party.

The governor said he will not disappear but will keep himself available for the party.

Meantime, Benavente reiterated his gratefulness “for the privilege and honor to serve our people in the last 16 years.”

Benavente had served as congressman representing Precinct 2 from 1990 to 2002.

During this time, he was elected by his peers three times as House Speaker.

In 2001, he ran and won as lieutenant governor for then gubernatorial candidate and Washington Rep. Juan N. Babauta.

“Those years as congressman, speaker, and as lieutenant governor to John were great years of my life,” said Benavente.

He said that although they lost in their re-election bid, “I feel that we’ve done a lot. Despite the challenges, we were able to make sure that all vital services were provided.”

As lieutenant governor, Benavente chairs the Solid Waste Task Force, American Memorial Park Development Committee, 902 Talks, CNMI Water Task Force and Board of Governors for Pacific Islands Development Bank.

Babauta credits Benavente for his “outstanding work” as chairman of these committees, particularly the Solid Waste taskforce during which the CNMI saw the closure of the Puerto Rico dumpsite and the opening of a regional model sanitary landfill in Marpi.

Likewise, Babauta said that through Benavente’s leadership, the 24-hour water supply on Saipan has improved from 40 percent to 75 percent.

“I’m just very proud of Diego’s accomplishments,” Babauta said in a recent interview.

Meanwhile, observers said that should Benavente choose to seek the party’s 2009 gubernatorial endorsement, he would be faced with having to deal with Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider, whose supporters still want him to run in the next general elections.

Hofschneider finished second in this year’s election with 3,710 votes or 100 votes higher than Babauta-Benavente’s 3,610 votes.

But GOP supporters said that Benavente’s “great advantage” over Hofschneider is the former’s “unquestionable loyalty” to the party.

Hofschneider has had a history of breaking away from the Republican Party to fulfill his own electoral quests, the latest of which was this year when he formed his own group to launch his own gubernatorial candidacy.

Another contender in the 2009 gubernatorial race would be Democratic Party senator Luis P. Crisostimo, who voluntarily withdrew his plan to seek the highest post in this year’s election for lack of a running mate, among others.