Teno gets high marks from legislators

Legislators believe Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio is doing well in his job so far, but the biggest challenge against his leadership still lies ahead as the Northern Marianas continues to face twin assaults from the U.S. and the Asian region.

On the eve of the annual State of the Commonwealth address, most members of the Legislature give a high rating to Tenorio’s handling of the economic and financial crisis that have dogged the island since his political comeback in January 1998.

The governor, however, needs to brush up his skills in dealing with long-standing problems between the CNMI and Washington, whose bilateral ties have soured in recent months due to differences over local administration of labor and immigration.

“We might not be doing everything we can to be on top of the crisis,” said House Speaker Diego T. Benavente who, like the governor, is a Republican.

He said the island government must step up efforts in the U.S. Congress in lobbying against pending legislation that will apply federal laws on local immigration, minimum wage and customs standards.

“We might be able to do a little bit more with it comes to efforts in fighting off attempts by the federal government taking over some of these controls,” Benavente added.

Tenorio has in the past few months come under fire for his apparent helplessness in responding to accusations leveled against the CNMI’s treatment of foreign workers here as well as its ability to handle Commonwealth functions.

So far, at least half a dozen measures are awaiting action in Congress that will either strip local authority over these functions or cut back federal funding granted under the Covenant.

But Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes maintained these issues will continue to haunt the island government whoever is in power. “We are not going to get rid of these problems,” he said.

“There are many factors that are beyond our control. But inspite of that, I think the governor has done a superb job in trying to address our many difficulties such as the economy,” echoed Senate President Paul A. Manglona.

Also a Republican, the Senate leader said Tenorio is on the right track and the Legislature is behind his back to realize the programs that the party pledged to do during the election campaign in 1997.

While controlled by his partymates, both the House and the Senate have had smooth relations with the governor in the past year, prompting allegations that the Legislature is a “rubber stamp” of this administration.

Reyes, who has openly criticized the administration for some of its decisions, believes it has not always been a bumpy ride-free affair, noting there have been differences, such as on matter of appointments and appropriation of the diminishing revenues of the government.

“It’s not something that is irreconcilable,” he said, adding that it’s a plus that Tenorio remains open to dialogue with legislators when they do encounter opposing views.

Generally though, most legislators agree the governor has dealt exceptionally well in managing the limited resources of the Commonwealth in view of the prolonged economic downturn spawned by the financial turmoil in Asia.

According to House Ways and Means Committee chair Rep. Karl T. Reyes, his performance is more than what can be expected from a leader confronted with serious cash-flow problems.

“If the governor is not on top of the situation, it could have been worse,” he said.

The cost-cutting program he has implemented since assuming the post have contributed to reducing deficit of the government, while continuing vital public services to the people.

“Given the limited resources that the governor has to work with now for the past year, I believe that he has dealt with it properly and rightly when he started the austerity measures,” Benavente said.

House Commerce and Tourism Committee chair Rep. Oscar M. Babauta also hailed Tenorio’s ability to prevent taking drastic steps to keep the government operational, including layoff of some public sector employees.

“He is doing his best to control the financial situation of the government,” he explained. “He may be slow in making decisions but he makes sure that he is doing the right thing, and not just overnight solution.”