Legislator accuses NMC in fund probe

Angered by failure of the Northern Marianas College to hand over critical documents, the chair of the House committee on Health, Education and Welfare yesterday accused officials of violations in implementing policies due to “highly suspicious” information provided to the panel.

Rep. Heinz Hofschneider dared NMC to open their records at its As Terlaje campus for scrutiny by the committee which is conducting an oversight investigation into the policy, management and financial standing of the state college.

In the third hearing held yesterday, the representative lashed out at some college officials for “questionable” documents requested by HEW which are either incomplete or inconsistent with information provided earlier.

Hofschneider maintained this action has bolstered his suspicion on the “integrity” of the NMC board’s policy, particularly on personnel, demanding an answer as to who is responsible for safekeeping of records that have not been turned in to the committee.

“Don’t take for a ride,” he warned college officials. “It’s a total insult.”

None of the NMC officials present in the hearing, including President Agnes M. McPhetres and Chairman Manuel Sablan, responded to the question.

But Sablan defended the board from the accusation, saying it is not his responsibility to provide those documents to the panel which should be the function of the NMC administration.

He admitted, however, that he authorized the submission of a particular information — a diskette containing personnel policy of the college which Hofschneider found with missing paragraphs and inconsistent with another set of policy given to the committee.

“I don’t know where you are going,” Sablan told the hearing. “If it’s a criminal matter, I want to hear it.”

Visibly angry during the hearing cut short by the very tense atmosphere at the House chamber, Hofschneider challenged college officials to pry open their records for the committee as well as to assist the Office of the Public Auditor on its ongoing audit of its finances.

OPA chief Leo L. LaMotte said their inquiry has yet to reach its halfway point as documents from NMC have come in slow despite the HEW making a request of 18 items for submission as early as May 29 last year.

“Please open up your records and I will shut my mouth,” Hofschneider said. “Is the board being run in total disarray or you chairman simply don’t know who’s responsible for safekeeping of records?”

The hearing, which began on January 28 following the controversy that erupted after some NMC students stormed the governor’s office in Capitol Hill for alleged government negligence on their scholarship grants, resumes today at 9:30 a.m. at the House chamber.