Young’s key aide on island

A key U.S. congressional staff is on island to hold talks with CNMI officials in what they said is a preparation ahead of the scheduled oversight hearing by the House Resources Committee next month in Washington D.C..

Manase Mansur, adviser on insular and international affairs for the committee headed by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), arrived on Saipan over the weekend for a five-day visit, according to officials.

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has met with the official twice already and more meetings with other island leaders have been set before Mansur leaves the island later this week.

“He is here… probably to try to get more information on some of the issues,” the governor told reporters yesterday, without elaborating.

But he said discussion has focused on the hearing scheduled for Sept. 16 by Young to discuss various Commonwealth issues, including additional federal funds for labor and immigration enforcement efforts in the CNMI.

“Basically we know what issues will be discussed on that hearing,” Tenorio explained. “(It is) basically financial assistance and everything that we can provide (as information to the committee).”

Mike Sablan, the governor’s special advisor on finance and budget, said the administration is currently compiling “a lot of information” ahead of the hearing. He did not provide specific details on what type of information the House panel is asking from the island government.

The local chief executive, however, indicated that he would lobby for more federal grants to help the CNMI undertake its proposed enforcement reforms and other crucial projects.

“It’s been our policy to ask for some federal assistance on some of the financial (grants) that have been made available to us,” Tenorio pointed out.

“I really don’t know what the aim of the hearing… with all due respect to the chairman. He must have a reason why he wants us to provide him with some of those information,” he added.

In announcing the plan last May, Young, who is a known CNMI ally, has said the hearing would tackle “current facts and conditions while considering actions of both local and federal governments and the views of workers, employers and residents” of the island.

His committee has jurisdiction over the Northern Marianas and other U.S. insular areas.

The hearing followed a visit by Young and other ranking members of the panel in the CNMI last February, during which he broached several recommendations to reform local labor and immigration system.

Mansur was part of the delegation.

Also yesterday, he met with House Speaker Diego T. Benavente and CNMI’s Resident Representative to Washington Juan N. Babauta over lunch.

“I am very interested in discussing with him the upcoming hearing in Washington hopefully to prepare ourselves to be able to put up the right presentation to the committee,” Benavente said before the meeting.

Meanwhile, there has been report that another ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives is set to make another visit here, but the governor said he was not certain if the trip would push through.

Last week, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) stopped over for a few hours on Saipan to meet with local and federal officials as well as tour some garment factories. He was on his way to Indonesia where his aides said he would monitor elections in the troubled region of East Timor.