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Senate president slams Fitial for ‘lack of plan for Fund’
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Posted on Mar 15 2012
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
Reporter
Senate President Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota) said yesterday it is “unfortunate” that Gov. Benigno R. Fitial lacks a plan to help prolong the lifespan of the NMI Retirement Fund.
Manglona said he could not help but make this assessment after attending the two-day forum for all parties involved in the lawsuit between the Fund and the central government. The forum was at the invitation of Superior Court associate judge Kenneth L. Govendo.
“I told the judge that if there’s a will there’s a way. In this case, the governor does not the have the will to help the Retirement Fund. It’s unfortunate that the governor does not have a plan to help the Fund. They think problems will disappear overnight and they do nothing,” he told Saipan Tribune.
Manglona said he’s calling on the governor to take an active leadership role on the Fund issue.
He said the administration’s plan need to solve the Fund’s problems overnight, but over the course of a few years.
Manglona also took issue with the House not acting independently of the Fitial administration.
“The Legislature, specifically the House, needs to assess its independence from the administration. They are separate branches of government,” he said.
At this juncture, Manglona pointed out that the Senate has come up with bills, initiatives and recommendations to prolong the pension agency’s lifespan, but they were either ignored or rejected by the House.
“People would ask where will the Fund get the resources? Give them assets of the government,” he said.
Among the Senate measures that senators passed in the last few months to help the Fund included Senate Legislative Initiative 17-13, which transfers management decisions of public land golf course leases to the Fund, and SLI 17-14, which transfers funds from the Marianas Public Land Trust to the Fund.
SLI 17-15 sets aside 25 percent of government revenues to pay the government’s employer contribution to the Fund, while Senate Bill 17-99, which transfers the administrative functions of the Government Life and Health Insurance Program from the Retirement Fund to the Department of Finance.
