OPM asks for more funds for increase

Office of Personnel Management director Isidro K. Seman is asking for more money so his office could complete giving out the 5 percent salary increases of all civil service employees provided in Public Law 19-83.

PL 19-3 sets a new base salary schedule for classified civil service government employees and increased the salary ceiling for classified civil service government employees. It also includes the still unfunded pay hike for governor, lieutenant governor, and legislators.

In last Friday’s meeting with members of the Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee, Seman said that being able to pay all qualified civil service employees remains OPM’s top priority—especially those frozen at Step 12—despite some confusion in implementing PL 19-83 and miscalculations.

“The intention to compensate our deserving public employees who were frozen at Step 12 ranks high on my books despite the fact that we have exceeded the fiscal amount of $1,451,365,” Seman told the Senate committee.

“The matter of how we propose to effect payment, who gets paid first, and how to fund it is yet to be determined. We are beyond the point of debating the issue. It would not be in our interest—and most especially our remaining employees who have not been compensated—to dwell on the funding miscalculation,” he added.

He did not elaborate on the funding miscalculation. A source told Saipan Tribune that some employees received more than the amount that was intended for them.

That’s why Seman, along with OPM Employment Development and Staffing director Joseph Pangelinan, have returned to the Senate committee with begging bowls in hand, to ask it for additional funds in order for OPM to pay the remaining civil service employees.

Seman and Pangelinan told the committee that they already processed the notice of proposed adjustment, NOPA, for 119 active and 154 inactive civil service employees, while also processing 20 inactive employees with pending NOPA and 37 inactive Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. personnel.

Seman said the amount had a total cost of $1,774,256, creating a shortfall of $322,892. He said that when PL 19-83 was passed, they started processing the active employees first by reviewing the list of who is eligible for the increase and who is not.

“OPM has reviewed 330 official personnel files to date. We have yet to complete the review of 89 active and 41 inactive employees. It is important that the government’s obligation to its employees is resolved as quickly as possible,” he added.

That’s why they are projecting a total amount of $625,000 to $650,000, including a projected shortfall of about $300,000, in compensating the remaining eligible civil service employees.

Reps. Angel A. Demapan (R-Saipan) and Gregorio M. Sablan Jr. (R-Saipan), last week also asked OPM to clarify the issue of implementing PL 19-83.

The Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee includes committee chair Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian), Sens. Francisco Q. Cruz (R-Tinian), Sixto K. Igisomar (R-Saipan), and Justo S. Quitugua (Ind-Saipan).