EVM candidates’ forum seeks to empower women

The candidates—Sen. Jovita Taimanao, center; Rose Ada Hocog, third from left; Rep. Felicidad Ogumoro, second from left; Lareina Camacho, third from right, and Rep. Janet Maratita, rightmost—are joined in this photo by First Hawaiian Bank’s 2014 Businesswoman of the Year Shirley Sablan, second from right; Empty Vessel Ministry Foundation founder Rose Smith, leftmost; forum moderator by Kaitlyn Neises-Mocanu, center at the rear; Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. CEO Esther Muna, fourth from right, and Nola Hix, front, of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce. (Dennis B. Chan)

Before the forum, First Hawaiian Bank’s 2014 Businesswoman of the Year Shirley Sablan spoke about gender equality, citing that women in the workforce only make three-fourths of the income men make.

She noted that while women make 75 percent of the non-profit industry, only 40 percent of them hold executive positions.

She also pointed to the local and national government, where the ratio of men-to-women in public service is poor.

Of the nine members of the CNMI Senate, only one is a woman, Sablan said, while only three of the 20 members of the CNMI House of Representatives are women.

“The CNMI has fallen short,” she told the crowd.

At a birthday party with her son, Jose, she met a young boy who inspired her with his goals to become a policeman and keep crime off the streets just like one of his parents.

“Your dad must be a great cop and a great hero,” Sablan recalled telling the boy.

The boy replied: “It’s not my dad who is a cop. It’s my mom.”

The irony was she was supposed to know better, Sablan said. She stereotyped the position.

“Gender inequality is not the fault of men alone,” she said.

While a woman may have many roles in a community, standards across genders aren’t fair to all.

“Women must do everything three times better than men do, all the while expected to come out strong intelligent and beautiful,” she said.

Like men, women also have flaws and downfalls, Sablan said, and together, both men and women should be each other’s support.

Candidates’ forum
The candidates at the forum were each given time to answer questions on domestic violence, healthcare, education, and casinos. Before this, they introduced themselves to the crowd, and told the crowd why they sought election or reelection.

Sen. Jovita Taimanao, who is seeking reelection for Rota senator, said she wants women to have the opportunity to make decisions in government. She said it is “very hard” to be the only woman in the Senate.

It takes collaboration and respect to work together for the “common goals of the Commonwealth,” she said.

On the issue of domestic violence, Rose Ada Hocog, a candidate for the House of Representatives Precinct 1, said that in the old days of Chamorro and Carolinian culture the issue would be kept inside the house. She said people should be educated on domestic violence so they feel “OK to come out and report it.”

On education, Rep. Felicidad Ogumoro, another reelectionist, said she would like to see 50 percent of the government budget be given to education in both public schools and college.

She said the government’s priorities are reflected in its budget and, if education is really a priority, the budge will show that.

Lareina Camacho, who is a candidate for Saipan Municipal Council, said that as a person who has been involved with workforce-related programs in the Public School System, she has met seniors who lack basic math, grammar, and reading skills for jobs. She pointed at how many freshmen in college have to retake their junior and senior math.

On casinos, reelectionist Rep. Janet Maratita said she disagrees with those who think a casino is the road to recovery. Instead, her answer to the Commonwealth’s financial problems is to cut and reduce government operations.

“Once we stop corruption we can allocate funds accordingly,” she said.

When the candidates were asked why they should be voted for, Camacho said that while she has a lot to learn, her learning comes from “you.”

Hocog said she is brutally honest and does not care about what others say, but will listen to the public.

Maratita said she has been “disheartened” by what she has seen in her time in government, and a vote for her is for a candidate who is caring and representative, without special interests.

Taimano pledged to the sustainability of the CNMI retirement program. “If there is a way, there is a way to the finish line and success,” she said.

Ogumoro called on her long-time service and experience. She said the Commonwealth needs strong leaders.

The forum was moderated by Kaitlyn Neises-Mocanu. Cherlyn Cabrera led the opening prayer, and Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther Muña led the closing remarks.

The event raised a total of $4,745 from donations and tickets sold at the event, according to the Empty Vessel Ministry Foundation that hosted the event.