FLASHBACK November 04, 1999-2004

Strengthen fiscal discipline—Teno[/B]

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio issued fresh instructions to Cabinet officials to tighten public spending during a meeting he convened yesterday to assess the financial condition of the government amid the absence of a fiscal budget for year 2000. The Cabinet meeting—the first in more than two months—also discussed a plan by the administration to mark the millennium year on Dec. 31 with a grand celebration, although there is no guarantee of funding, according to officials.
[B] Businessmen tighten belt to cope with economic slump[/B]

Thirty-two percent of 71 companies surveyed by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce had cut back work hours to cope with the sharp decline in the island’s tourism economy, according to a survey released by the business group. In the past two years, when businesses in the island started to feel the pinch of the crisis spawned by Asian-wide currency crunch, 474.5 jobs had been eliminated after employers imposed the freeze-hiring policy aimed at paring down cost of operations.

Govt to set GHLI free[/B]

The Babauta Administration is set to submit to the Legislature tomorrow a proposed health insurance privatization bill, in efforts to offer a long-term solution to the current crisis besetting the Group Health and Life Insurance program. “I’m sending the draft legislation to the Legislature Tuesday. It’s a draft suggesting to privatize the health insurance program of the government,” Babauta said in an interview over the weekend.

Officials of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be on Saipan this month as the nation celebrates drinking water protection month EPA officials are expected to discuss the Commonwealth’s groundwater problems with their local counterparts.

Heinz laments incumbents’ defeat[/B]

The failure of seven incumbent House members to keep their seats—based on unofficial results from Saturday’s midterm polls—was a big blow not only to the unsuccessful re-electionists themselves, but also to House Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider. “As speaker, it’s always hard not to feel responsible for any member losing the election. And I still feel that in as much as we have to respect the people’s choices and opinions-and they have made a decision, on a personal level, it is still very difficult for me to deal with members who have lost the election. I’ve worked with them as their speaker for the last two years. And some of them I’ve worked for an extended number of years,” he told reporters yesterday.

The Commission on Election yesterday disclosed that some absentee ballots that were mailed out to off-island voters are now in the possession of the United States Postal Service. Absentee ballots will be tallied on November 15. According to election executive director Greg Sablan, the USPS has received an undisclosed number of absentee ballots from off-island voters even before the November 1, 2003 midterm election day.

High Court upholds congressman’s conviction[/B]

The Supreme Court yesterday affirmed the conviction of House Rep. Norman Palacios for touching a woman’s private part at a Tinian bar nearly three years ago. However, while the High Court, as a collegial body, agreed with the trial court’s determination that Palacios was guilty of assault and battery, the justices were split in their opinion. The Superior Court had also convicted Palacios on a charge of disturbing the peace.
[B] Guam casino initiative’s defeat ‘good’ for CNMI[/B]

The defeat of the casino initiative on Guam is a good development for the CNMI tourism-wise, according to the House leadership. “It’s positive. It’s a positive development because, had it been passed, it would have given Guam an edge, a greater advantage [over the CNMI] in terms of competition in the tourism market,” said House leadership spokesman Charles Reyes Jr.