FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK
The lone ranger
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Mar-Vic Cagurangan
[email protected]
Guam Delegate Michael San
Nicolas made a mark for
defeating the once unbeatable
Madeleine Bordallo, who everyone
thought was glued forever to the congressional
seat.
He is smart, aggressive, enigmatic
and full of youthful idealism. But,
serving his first term in the U.S. House
of Representatives, the young delegate
was off to a bad start. He is facing an
investigation by the House ethics committee
for allegedly having an inappropriate
affair with a staffer and receiving
an excessive campaign contribution
from a local businessman.
Back home, the Democratic delegate
has been in conflict with his
party mates, Gov. Lou Leon
Guerrero and Speaker Tina
Muna Barnes, over clashing
policy direction and
political strategies in the
nation’s capital. His pragmatic
approach to dealing
with Guam-related issues
often collides with the sentimental
mode of most local
leaders. His let’s-allow-everyone-to-vote
position on
the self-determination issue
is frowned upon by Guam
leaders who continue to
fight for exclusivity.
At times, they engage in a contest
of information and interpretation of
federal laws and policies— as they did
during the discussion on the war reparations
for Guam last year. And then
again at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic,
they clashed over the reading of
the CARES Act programs in relation to
their application to Guam.
Their unashamed exchanges of passive-aggressive
social media posts and
official press statements have become
an exhausting spectacle for the people
4
Their unashamed exchanges of passive-aggressive
social media posts and
official press statements have become
an exhausting spectacle for the people
of Guam, even for cheer leaders
and hecklers. They are left wondering
how all the bickering would extricate
them from the depths of their coronavirus-triggered
despair.
of Guam, even for cheer
leaders and hecklers. They
are left wondering how all
the bickering would extricate
them from the depths
of their coronavirus-triggered
despair.
Historically, the Guam
delegate comes back for
many encores. Bordallo
represented Guam in the
U.S. Congress for 16 years.
But between the ongoing
ethics investigation and the
growing rift with his party mates, San
Nicolas’ chances at getting reelected
is open to speculation. The upcoming
election will be a referendum on his
performance, if not a measure of his
likability quotient.
The scandals hounding the delegate
office make this position more appealing
to challengers.
Dr. Robert Underwood — who
served in Congress from 1993 to
2003— is seeking to reclaim his old
seat, equipped with his statesmanhood
and familiarity with the federal landscape.
He is vying for the Democratic
Party’s nomination in the Aug. 29
primary, vowing to glue the party back
together.
The delegate seat has been held by
the Democratic Party for nearly three
decades. In the general elections, Republican
Sen. Wil Castro is taking up
the challenge to switch the trend. He is
running unopposed in the Republican
primary, campaigning to bring Guam to
a better direction.
For U.S. territories, cruising around
the federal system and lobbying for
what we want is like placing a wager.
We win some, we lose some. The
former delegates had feats and failures.
Guam’s representative has no voting
power in Congress and a fragmented
leadership does not help.
In the end, it’s not about the person
or the party; it’s about preserving the
dignity of the office so as not to divert
focus away from a long roster of recurring
and unresolved issues affecting
everyone on Guam.
Contributing Writers
Vincent Akimoto
Raquel Bagnol
Bea Cabrera
Phillip Cruz, Jr.
Zaldy Dandan
Jayne Flores
Jeni Ann Flores
Geoff Goodman
Theodore Lewis
Diana Mendoza
Johanna Salinas
Alex Rhowuniong
Jay Shedd
Visual Editor
Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Sales and Marketing Executive
Jan SN Furukawa
[email protected]
Account Executive
Anna Marie Alegre
[email protected]
Administrative Assistant
Ricky Panelo
***
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