Veteran Rep. Ralph N. Yumul is open to becoming the next speaker of the CNMI House of Representatives, with the independent bloc aligned with gubernatorial candidate Rep. Blas Jonathan “BJ” T. Attao emerging as the largest organized group in the incoming 25th Legislature following the Nov. 3 general elections.
Yumul, who won another term representing Precinct 3, said he would welcome the opportunity to lead the 20-member chamber but acknowledged that securing the speakership would depend on gaining the support of fellow lawmakers.
“If I had the numbers, I would be honored to serve as a speaker of the House,” Yumul told Marianas Press.
“But that would depend on the members that I ran with and the new members that are coming in,” he added.
The Attao-Villagomez or AV-aligned independent bloc secured nine House seats in the elections, according to Yumul, two short of the 11 needed to control the chamber and elect its next speaker.
Based on election results, independents won 14 of the 20 House seats, while Republicans secured five and Democrats one. However, not all independents are aligned with the AV camp, leaving the next House leadership dependent on negotiations among lawmakers.
Yumul is among the chamber's most senior members following the departure of Attao and Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, who left their House seats to seek the governorship and lieutenant governorship, respectively.
The veteran legislator, who first won election in 2012, said the political landscape has changed considerably since he entered the House as one of its youngest members.
“This past election was actually the toughest one because when I first ran in the 18th Legislature, 2012 election, I was the youngest of the group. And now, in this group, I'm almost the oldest one,” he said.
Yumul said his reelection would mark his seventh term in the House, having suffered one electoral defeat during his legislative career.
Despite the political differences among incoming lawmakers, Yumul expressed confidence that the next House could work together.
He cited the outgoing Legislature's experience, in which Republicans and independents frequently cooperated on legislation despite their political affiliations.
“So we work together pretty well. We haven't had any House issues this past two years,” he said.
Yumul, a former Republican who later returned to being an independent, said he left the party because he could no longer support the administration of former governor Ralph DLG Torres amid investigations into government expenditures.
He said remaining independent gives lawmakers greater freedom to make decisions without being bound by party positions.
“Because you can basically, you're not tied into any party agenda. You're free to think, free to vote,” he said.
He also expressed confidence in working with Democratic representative-elect Leila Staffler, whom he described as balanced and someone he had worked with previously.
On governance, Yumul said the AV-aligned lawmakers intend to continue the fiscal discipline and accountability measures introduced under former governor Arnold I. Palacios and carried forward by Gov. David M. Apatang.
“We want to tighten our belts,” he said, adding that fiscal discipline would eventually allow the Commonwealth to pursue new opportunities for economic growth.
He identified clean audits, balanced budgets, and responsible spending as essential to rebuilding public confidence and improving the Commonwealth's ability to secure federal reimbursements.
Beyond the leadership question, Yumul said reviving the struggling CNMI economy would be his No. 1 priority in the next Legislature.
“The economy is No. 1,” he said.
He warned that declining business activity and changing tourism patterns were making it increasingly difficult for the CNMI to compete with other destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Yumul said travelers appeared to be gravitating toward Southeast Asia, making it necessary for the Commonwealth to regain lost tourism markets and attract new investments.
Drawing from his family's business experience, he said he had witnessed firsthand the difficulties confronting local businesses in recent years.
He also welcomed the return of Philippine Airlines service to Saipan as an opportunity to attract additional business activity, alongside efforts to improve visitor access through visa policies.
Another potential economic initiative involves reconsidering the Commonwealth's casino industry.
Yumul, who chairs the House Committee on Gaming, said lawmakers could revisit existing gaming legislation, including Public Law 18-56, to explore allowing multiple smaller casino operations rather than relying on a single large-scale casino development.
He said discussions with gaming industry representatives suggested the CNMI market might be better suited to smaller casinos operating within existing hotels.
“And that's the message that was sent to us is scale it down and maybe one or two hotels can host a casino in there,” he said.
However, Yumul emphasized that any proposal to revive the industry would require public consultation.
Lawmakers would have to determine whether residents still support casino operations, particularly following the difficulties associated with the unfinished Imperial Pacific International casino resort in Garapan.
“We're going to try to amend the law to make it a multiple license,” he said, adding that public hearings would be necessary.
Yumul also raised concerns about the structural condition of the unfinished casino building, including questions involving the soil beneath the development and the quality of its concrete construction.
He said reducing the building's height could be technically possible but costly, particularly because concrete floor slabs would have to be removed.
Yumul said any future casino development must be sustainable and should avoid repeating the problems of the previous project.
As he prepares for another term, Yumul thanked his Precinct 3 constituents and pledged to continue representing residents regardless of whether they voted for him.
“And I would like to continue a good legacy in Precinct 3,” he said.
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