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Facts of 25% guaranteed to PSS
House Legislative Initiative 18-12 was introduced by Rep. Roman C. Benavente and Rep. Lorenzo I. Deleon Guerrero, and amended Article XV Section of the NMI Constitution to guarantee the Public School System an annual budget of no less than 25 percent of the general revenues of the Commonwealth. The budgetary appropriation (for PSS) may not be appropriated for other purposes.
House Legislative Initiative 18-12 was voted on by the NMI voters (people) on Nov. 4, 2014, over four years ago.
As such, the NMI Constitution guarantees 25% of the general revenue of the Commonwealth to PSS.
Reps. Benavente and Deleon Guerrero introduced HLI 18-12 because they believed in the importance of education of our children. Today, these two representatives are still in the Legislature and are members of the majority in the House of Representatives, but they are no longer fighting for the 25% of the general revenues for the Public School System. Why is the change of heart? Why are they not fighting for the very legislative initiative that they authored and was approved and mandated by the NMI people?
The Public School System is in the state of meltdown because of the lack of funding, yet no one from the Torre administration (the governor especially) is stepping forward with an explanation.
Not giving PSS the 25% is a blatant violation of the NMI Constitution, yet what is our elected attorney general, who is independent of the administration and supposedly non-political, doing to enforce this violation? Where is the public auditor? The people of NMI demand an explanation and demand action. No one is above the law!
Why is the PSS Board of Education silent on the 25%? When are the parents, students, teachers, and administration going to rise up to take a stand?
Even with the financial crisis of our local government and its inability to remit the whole budget due to PSS, this does not give them the right to violate the law of the land.
Jack Muña
Koblerville, Saipan
