FLASHBACK – September 9, 2011

Atalig offers waiver for doctors who wear two hats[/B]

In an effort to address the compensation issue of medical doctors who also function as government officials, a ranking lawmaker has pre-filed a measure that would allow such doctors to elect which salary level they would receive. Sen. Ricardo S. Atalig said his measure would amend the exemptions to the Compensation Adjustment Act to resolve thorny questions over the salaries of Dr. James U. Hofschneider and Dr. Hocog so that medical doctors who also serve as either Public Health Secretary or DPH resident department head may elect to receive salaries as doctors and not the salary level assigned by law for Public Health secretaries and resident heads.

Stressing that solutions to the CNMI’s problems can be found within, Rota Mayor Benjamin T. Manglona recently presented the CNMI government with a seven-point strategic plan that he calls “The New Deal,” which seeks to rebuild the CNMI economy. The seven talking points he outlined in his letter to Gov. Juan N. Babauta and members of the Legislature was accompanied with three proposed legislation that he said support some of his arguments for expanding the Commonwealth’s revenue base. Manglona stressed that his proposals are premised on the basic thought that the solutions to the CNMI’s financial problems can be found at home. “We should look not to outsiders but to the insiders for financial solutions; we should look not to foreign experts but to our own domestic resources to frame recovery. We should look at our own ingenuity to revitalize the economy,” he said.

$156K contract for bolt repair signed[/B]

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. has entered into a $156,000 contract with Singapore-based Man B&W to replace eight loose bolts on Engine 6 of CUC’s main power plant in Lower Base. The contract, signed by the CUC and the Attorney General on June 10 and 11 respectively, and by the contractor on June 24, said that Man B&W-out of three bidders-submitted the lowest responsive bid. Earlier the CUC had sole-sourced another Singaporean company, Heatec. But contract discussions with Heatec were eventually dropped following criticisms on the firm’s expertise in bolt replacement work.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. continues to buy power from a private resort at $80,000 a month since May as a result of almost a yearlong delay in the purchase of an emergency transformer. CUC Rota resident director Thomas Manglona reported to the CUC board last week that the utility firm still gets electricity from Rota Resort and Country Club to service Feeder 3, which supplies up to 35 percent of the island customers. He said that “up to this date, we are still awaiting procurement of a 10-MVA substation emergency replacement transformer.” The board approved the emergency procurement of the transformer in December last year.

Adriano says Senate will pass surcharge subsidy[/B]

Senate President Joaquin G. Adriano said the House-approved fuel surcharge subsidy proposal will pass the upper chamber shortly. “We will pass that bill to help remove some of the burden off the people in paying the fuel surcharge,” said Adriano yesterday. The senator attended yesterday’s press conference on the current power crisis, which was held at the Multi-Purpose Hall in Susupe. It was hosted by the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and the Executive Branch.

Special Education teachers are not exempt from taking PRAXIS I and II as the exams are part and parcel of the Board of Education’s continuing effort to achieve “highly qualified teachers” in the CNMI. Special Education coordinator Joanne Nicholls said the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001’s definition of “highly qualified teacher” requires even special education teachers to take PRAXIS as part of their certification. PSS associate commissioner for administrative services David M. Borja said SPED teachers must also satisfy the HQT requirement for CNMI public school teachers. Initially, PRAXIS I was a requirement for the teachers, Borja said, but if they are teaching a specific subject content area, then they must also take and pass PRAXIS II.