Rota council chair works to turn this to his advantage

ROTA—With Sen. Paul A. Manglona (Ind-Rota) squaring off against his younger brother, Thomas A. Manglona, for the same Senate position in the Nov. 8 election, 15th Rota Municipal Council chair George Ogo Hocog strongly believes that the brothers’ “political squabble” will turn to his advantage.

Hocog, who is also running for a Senate seat, agreed that the votes for the Manglona brothers from their clan and supporters will surely be divided,

Hocog said having been elected thrice to the Rota Municipal Council, he’s gained enough knowledge in order for him to be a good senator.

He believes the Municipal Council operates almost similarly to the Senate or the House.

“I think that I have done a lot of things for our people, despite a very minimal budget for the council,” said Hocog, citing the many programs they have for the people, youths, and senior citizens.

“I believe that people should give me a chance to work for them. I am very committed and very aggressive to work for them,” he added.

Hocog said Sen. Manglona has been elected to his position for 28 years, which he believes is “too long” and he believes there should be a term limit for senators, representatives, and even councilmen.

“If the governor can be accorded two terms, why not the House or the Senate or even the Municipal Council for that matter, so that other people can serve with new ideas,” he pointed out.

The Rota Municipal Council chairman said the longer a person stays in the Senate or the House, that person tends to lose the interest of the people.

If elected to the Senate, Hocog’s goals and objectives are to work toward economic recovery for the island, upgrade the ports of entry, open opportunities for people to be gainfully employed, and work with elected and appointed leaders especially at the federal level to ensure that the CNMI would continue to be able to hire skilled foreign workers because of its inadequate local work force.

His other goals are to improve the financial posture of the Rota Municipal Scholarship Foundation Board, work closely with the Rota mayor so that adequate funds are available for patients who need to stay on Saipan for medical treatment, work closely with other elected leaders to safeguard the lifespan of the Retirement Fund to assist the retirees, and work closely with the Legislature to amend the Commonwealth Environmental Protection Act to provide assistance to farmers.

Hocog, 58, is married to Lucy Calvo Manglona. They have six children. He finished elementary and high schools on Rota. He went to college for two years at the University of Guam.

At a political forum organized by high school students on Rota last Friday morning, Hocog faced the Manglona brothers, saying a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree is not necessary so long as he or she uses common sense to work with people.

Hocog retired as a government employee six years ago. He used to work as a Community and Culture Affairs sports recreation specialist, where he was selected employee of the year for Rota and eventually elected as overall CNMI Employee of the Year.

Hocog used to serve as a board member for the CNMI Election Commission. He also previously held many civic positions and at several private companies.