Cing urged to restart his campaign for delegate

The Senate has urged former senator David Cing to rejoin the congressional race and not to wait for lawmakers to clear his brother of alleged impropriety and nepotism.

The Senate Committee on Resources, Economic Development and Programs yesterday postponed a public hearing, where the Department of Public Lands was supposed to answer questions on public land issues, including allegations against Cing’s brother, Raynaldo.

Cing had suspended his campaign after the Taotao Tano citizen group claimed Raynaldo was granted a large piece of homestead land because he is the brother-in-law of DPL Secretary John S. DelRosario.

Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider informed Cing in a letter yesterday that the public hearing has been rescheduled for Thursday, Nov. 13, which comes a week after the congressional delegate election.

“As such, it would seem unwise for you to hinge your political endeavors on any action from the Legislature generally or the Senate Standing Committee on Resources, Economic Development and Programs specifically,” said Hofschneider, chairman of the committee.

He added that legislative oversight hearings are held to gather information used to craft legislation. “It is usually not the committee’s place to conduct trials and determine guilt, innocence or to exonerate any individual,” he said. Yet, he said the committee will continue to hold public hearings regarding to DPL and land issues in the CNMI.

“Please know that my committee has taken no position on the propriety of [the former Marianas Public Lands Authority], DPL’s or your brother’s land deal,” Hofschneider told Cing. “Until such time that I have been provided with all the information requested from DPL, the committee remains neutral on this issue. As such, I encourage you to restart your campaign if you feel it is in the best interests of the people of Tinian and the CNMI.”

Taotao Tano has alleged that Raynaldo improperly received a 1.5-hectare agricultural homestead lot with Del Rosario’s help. Shortly after the accusation, Cing announced he would not conduct any political activities until the Senate completes an investigation.

“It’s useless for me to be telling the people of the Commonwealth how I think our problems should be fixed, if I have a problem in my own home. So I am demanding the Senate to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible,” said Cing, who is one of the nine candidates running to become the Commonwealth’s first ever delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

For his part, DelRosario has called Taotao Tano’s allegations “moronically baseless.” The allotment of the homestead land, DelRosario said, was granted long before he took on the role as DPL’s Secretary.

According to the DPL secretary, a memorandum prepared by the former director of the Homestead Division shows that Raynaldo Cing had applied for an agricultural homestead in 1976 when the NMI was still under the old Trust Territory Government. The former MPLA approved Raynaldo Cing’s claim shortly before it was abolished in 2006.

In light of this approval, DelRosario said, “[m]y decision was basically ceremonial, honoring the former agency’s approved disposition.”