NMC probe is within bounds: Hofschneider

The chair of the House committee on Health, Education and Welfare yesterday lashed back at mounting criticisms against the series of oversight hearings conducted by the panel on the Northern Marianas College.

Defending the legislative inquiry, HEW chair Rep. Heinz Hofschneider said the panel has uncovered several findings that showed mismanagement and abuse of authority at CNMI’s lone higher learning institution.

He also attacked during a House session yesterday statements which have cast doubt on the intention of the committee to investigate into the operations of the community college.

While he did not mention names, Hofschneider said one of the discrepancy discovered by the panel pointed to “waste and abuse of authority in public funds” over the purchase of some 6,000 videotapes by the NMC bookstore at a cost of $58,000 which have yet to recover by the college board of auxiliary services.

“I am clarifying areas that we are looking at and one of the areas we are concerned about is whether those establishment, either auxiliary services or programs, are justified and beneficial to the students,” he told reporters after the session.

According to Hofschneider, the committee also has noted consistent budget deficit facing the college at the end of fiscal year for the last eight years that has been a source of its recent financial problems.

NMC has come under fire during the oversight for failure to spend within the level appropriated by the legislature, citing programs have been implemented in the absence of cost-analysis and evaluation.

While college officials have repeatedly denied the charges and blamed the government for not providing enough funding, the inquiry has revealed contradictory documents, including salary raise for a few employees despite the austerity measures of the government.

Hofschneider also defended the oversight as a means to look into the root cause of the financial dilemma, whether legislation passed in the last few years drain its resources or whether board policies contributed to the situation.

“It is the right and the power of the legislature to investigate. No one disagrees with that particular authority of the legislature,” he said, brushing aside accusation it is a political move against embattled NMC President Agnes M. McPhetres.

Hofschneider has told reporters earlier that the management of the college should be changed, including the president, following disclosure of the committee’s findings.

The panel, however, cannot avoid putting any official on the spotlight as the college must respond to the questioning of the panel.

“That is merely why we’re on the picking — because we have uncovered a lot of information that warrants the committee looking into in greater detail and it is revealing as to the appropriateness of the public spending,” he said.

“Once the committee completes its task, then we will report without bias as to whether the legislature has any fault to its credit in passing legislation irrespective of rationalization and justification of those programs,” the representative added.