MJ in Saipan: I can run for governor here

SAIPAN — Handcuffed, wearing an oxygen mask and facing a possible stint in jail, Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez managed to retain his sense of humor and appetite.

Extradition and criminal lawsuits notwithstanding, Jimenez was able to crack jokes and enjoy a Jollibee Chickenjoy meal yesterday in Saipan, his first stop in his return odyssey to the United States where he faces charges of tax evasion, mail fraud, illegal campaign contributions and making false statements.

Jimenez was delighted to learn that Filipinos make up the majority of the 69,000-strong population of this island.

Philippine vice consul Marcos Punsalang said Jimenez joked about running for governor, the highest elective post in this US territory.

"He was really excited, especially when I told him that there are lots of Filipinos here. He even joked that he could run as governor here."

Jimenez was handcuffed on board the flight from Manila, Punsalang said. "(Jimenez) showed me the mark left by the handcuffs on his right wrist," he said.

Jimenez was also wearing an oxygen mask when he met Punsalang, who said he was informed that the lawmaker suffered from hyperventilation and a disorder known as sleep apnea. "Sometimes he’s wearing it, sometimes not," he said.

Punsalang said Jimenez asked for chicken when offered food and was excited to learn that Saipan has a Jollibee franchise where a three-piece Chickenjoy meal with two cups of rice and a soft drink costs $5 (about P265).

As a Filipino and a public official, Jimenez deserves courtesy and assistance from the Philippine Consulate, Punsalang said, adding that he was informed of Jimenez’s possible stopover in Saipan by the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco early yesterday morning.

Jimenez was held in Saipan until 5:30 p.m., when he boarded a Continental Airlines flight to Guam, the next stop on his way to Miami, Florida where he is scheduled to attend his bail hearing.

Escorted by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the 56-year-old lawmaker was wearing a white barong Tagalog when he arrived here at 8 a.m.

From the airport, Jimenez was brought to the FBI office, where he stayed until 10 a.m., then transported to the US Marshal’s Office on the ground floor of the Federal Building, where the US District Court is also located.

Despite reporters’ questions, federal officials would not confirm Jimenez’s departure time. "It’s a policy of the marshal service and the FBI not to give any details of the exact flight schedules. He’s been here as a part of the (extradition) process," assistant US Attorney John Rice said.

Rice said, however, that Jimenez was able to talk to his Washington-based lawyer, Abbe Lowell, yesterday morning.

Jimenez and Lowell, Rice said, want to reach Miami soon. "(Lowell’s) client wants to get to Miami as quickly as possible."

Jimenez was not allowed to talk to reporters, as the shooting of photographs is prohibited within the Federal Building.

US authorities said Jimenez’s flight was diverted to Saipan from Guam because this island is the nearest US jurisdiction with a US District Court still in session on Friday morning.

The hearing, however, did not push through, Rice said. "It’s been determined that there’s no need for (a) hearing here."

Had the hearing pushed through, Rice would have served as the case prosecutor. "(Jimenez is) now in the custody of the FBI and the marshals. He will attend the bail hearing in Miami, but that would have to be delayed until he gets there," Rice said.

Rice added that Jimenez was brought to Saipan partly because the facilities on Guam were damaged by the onslaught of super-typhoon Pongsona.

Jimenez faces an additional 47 counts of various criminal charges in the US, on top of the 17-count indictment leveled against him in Miami.

Upon Jimenez’s arrival in Guam 20 minutes after his departure from Saipan, Philippine Vice Consul Charmaine Aviquivil said the Manila lawmaker will stay overnight in Guam, where the FBI team will give him a medical checkup.

Aviquivil said she spoke with Jimenez at the Guam airport, adding that the Manila legislator was not handcuffed.