Thomas Manglona is an independent member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, representing District 5 (Saipan). Manglona, whose full name is Thomas John Dela Cruz Manglona and who is widely known as TJ, was first elected in November 2022 as a Republican and took office in January 2023. For the 2024 election Manglona chose to seek a second term as an independent, explaining that the move reflected respect for others weighing a run in the precinct rather than any disagreement with the party. In the three-way Precinct 5 race that November, Manglona received the most votes, and both independent incumbents kept their seats.1
When the House organized for the new term, Manglona joined the leadership coalition under Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, who named Manglona chair of the Committee on Commerce after it was separated from the former combined commerce and tourism panel. Manglona said the interest in the post came from a wish to help the Commonwealth’s business community. Manglona also sits on the House committees on Tourism, Cannabis, Health and Welfare, and Ways and Means.
Within the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, which handles local legislation for those islands, Manglona is a member of the standing committees on cannabis, education, health and welfare, and natural resources. Manglona has set out goals of building on earlier work for Precinct 5 and working with other Commonwealth officials on long-running social and economic problems. In late 2025 Manglona traveled to Washington, D.C., following attendance at a national insurance conference.
