Paul Atalig Manglona (born January 25, 1958) is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. He is a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate from Rota, serving from 1987 until 2013, again from 2013 to 2015, and again from 2016 to 2025.
He was born on January 25, 1958, [1] to Prudencio Taisacan Manglona, a longtime Mayor of Rota, and Bernadita Atalig Manglona. [2] [3] He graduated from Father Duenas Memorial High School in Guam in 1976 as the valedictorian. He then graduated from Santa Clara University with a BA Degree in civil engineering and further studied at San Jose State University. He returned to the Northern Mariana Islands and worked for the CMS Construction before working for Rota's Public Works. [4] In 1985, Manglona was a delegate to the Second Constitutional Convention. [5]
Manglona was first elected to the Senate in 1987 as a Republican. [6] During his first tenue, Manglona served as the chamber’s president on multiple occasions. [7] Manglona lost the 2012 Senate election to Republican Victor Hocog. In 2013, Senator Juan Manglona Ayuyu was convicted of smuggling of federally protected Mariana fruit bats. The conviction created a vacancy which the Northern Mariana Islands Supreme Court ruled would be filled by Manglona until the next general election. [8] In the 2014 general election, Manglona finished third of five candidates for two seats. The winners were Republican candidates Teresita Santos and Steven King Mesngon. [9]
Manglona was again appointed to the Senate on February 10, 2016 to succeed Victor Hocog upon Hocog’s elevation to Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. [10] In the 2024 general election, Manglona lost to special education teacher Ronnie Mendiola Calvo. [11]
The District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands is a federal territorial court whose jurisdiction comprises the United States-affiliated Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). It was established by Act of Congress in 1977, pursuant to an international agreement between the United States and the CNMI that brought the CNMI under United States sovereignty. The court began hearing cases in January 1978. The court regularly sits in Saipan but may sit elsewhere in the CNMI. The court has the same jurisdiction as United States district courts, including diversity jurisdiction and bankruptcy jurisdiction. However, the District Court is not an Article III U.S. District Court, and because of that its judge is appointed for a 10-year term instead of for life. Appeals are taken to the Ninth Circuit.
Rota, also known as the "Friendly Island", is the southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the third southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago. In early Spanish records it is called "Zarpana"; the name Rota may have come from the Spaniards possibly naming the island after the municipality of Rota, Spain. It lies approximately 40 nautical miles (74 km) north-northeast of the United States territory of Guam. Sinapalo village is the largest and most populated, followed by Songsong village (Songsong). Rota also functions as one of the four municipalities of the CNMI.
The Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. It began as a purely local territorial party and is now officially affiliated with the United States' national Democratic Party.
Benjamin Taisacan Manglona was a Northern Marianan politician and civil engineer. He is the CNMI's longest serving elected official having served as a congressman, senator, and former mayor of Rota. Manglona served as the third lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 1990 to 1994 and as Mayor of Rota from 1998 to 2006.
The Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives is the lower house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature.
The Northern Mariana Islands Senate is the upper house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The Senate consists of nine senators representing three senatorial districts, each a multi-member constituency with three senators.
Carlos Sablan Camacho is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who served as the first governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 9, 1978, to January 11, 1982.
Arnold Indalecio Palacios is a Northern Marianan politician currently serving as the tenth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, since 2023. A political independent, he previously served as the 12th lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2019 to 2023, and was a member of the Republican Party until 2021. He represented Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate.
The 2012 Northern Mariana Islands general election were held on Tuesday, 6 November, 2012. The election coincided with the 2012 United States general elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, 3 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 4 mayors, seats for the municipal council, seats for the board of education, and 2 judges. Additionally, three referendums were held.
The 2014 Northern Mariana Islands general election were held on Tuesday, 4 November, 2014. The election coincided with the 2014 United States midterm elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, attorney general, 6 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 4 mayors, seats for the municipal council, and seats for the board of education. Additionally, a referendum involving changes to the constitution was held.
Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres is a Northern Marianan politician, who served as the ninth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, from December 29, 2015, to January 9, 2023. He is a Republican from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The third longest-serving governor in CNMI history, Torres took office upon the death of Governor Eloy Inos on December 29, 2015, before being reelected as governor in his own right in 2018. He previously served as the tenth lieutenant governor, having been elected to that post in 2014.
Victor Borja Hocog is a Northern Marianan politician. He served as the President of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate from January 14, 2019 to January 11, 2021, and previously from January 12, 2015 to December 29, 2015. He also served as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from December 29, 2015 to January 14, 2019.
The 2018 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, to elect the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Incumbent Republican governor Ralph Torres, who ascended to governorship in December 2015 following the death of Governor Eloy Inos, sought election to a full term.
Janet Ulloa Maratita is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands and former member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives.
Teresita Apatang Santos is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands and current Secretary of the Department of Public Lands. She previously served as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives and as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate.
The 2022 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote in the general election, the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on November 25, 2022.
The 2020 Northern Mariana Islands general election were held on Tuesday, 3 November, 2020, corresponding with the 2020 United States general elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, 3 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, seats for the municipal council, seats for the board of education, 1 justice, and 2 judges.
The 2022 Northern Mariana Islands general election were held on Tuesday, 8 November 2022, corresponding with the 2022 United States general elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, attorney general, 6 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 4 mayors, seats for the municipal council, seats for the board of education, a justice, and 2 judges.
The 2001 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Saturday, 3 November 2001, electing the governor and members to the legislature. The 2001 elections marked the last general election that the dissolved Reform Party, which merged back into the Democratic Party in 2002, would appear on the ballot. Despite the economic hardships experienced under Pedro Pangelinan Tenorio's Administration, the apparent strength the 1999 general elections signaled that the Democratic Party and its splinter Reform Party had, and the newly formed Covenant Party which was formed as a splinter party from the ruling Republican Party, Republican candidate Juan Nekai Babauta won with a landslide in the four-way race. Benigno Repeki Fitial's newly formed Covenant Party landed a distant yet sizable second place. Jesus Borja of the Democratic Party won a distant third and Froilan Tenorio of the Reform Party placed fourth.
The 2024 Northern Mariana Islands general election will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, corresponding with the 2024 United States general elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands will chose the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, 3 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, seats for the municipal council, and seats for the board of education.