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Administration doesn’t tolerate sexual harassment
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Posted on Mar 23 1999
Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday issued fresh warnings against government officials that his administration will not tolerate misconduct in public office in light of the sexual harassment allegations brought against Felipe Q. Atalig, administrator of the Coastal Resources Management Office.
“I am deeply disturbed and saddened by the allegations of misconduct…I believe that is important to send a message to the public about the government’s position on these types of matters and that message is we will not tolerate this type of behavior,” the governor said in a statement.
Reports said Atalig was charged with misconduct in public office and assault and battery Friday following complaints of sexual harassment from a CRMO employee. He is currently out on bail.
Tenorio exhorted all officials to set good examples and ensure that working environments in any department or division are protected to avoid similar incident in the future.
“This government demands leadership behavior that shows that employees will be treated with dignity and respect. The government cannot and will not tolerate behavior such as this by any government employee, but our leaders have higher responsibility to be aware of these issues,” the governor said.
The CNMI leader also reminded government employees that a directive issued in 1994 is still in effect to encourage government employees who have suffered sexual harassment to report the incident to their department heads or to the Governor’s Office for immediate investigation and disciplinary action against perpetuators.
“We will take immediate necessary action to ensure that the employee in this situation is protected from harm. The CNMI Office of Personnel and Management is already working on this matter to ensure that all necessary and appropriate measures are being taken,” Tenorio assured.
