Reyes: Shut down Manila liaison office • Move aimed to realign funds for scholarship program

Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes yesterday vowed to press for closure of the government’s liaison office in Manila, saying it is just unnecessary expenditure of public funds that should be better spent for the local scholarship program.

He said the move is in line with efforts by the Legislature to trim down the government’s unnecessary expenditures in order to increase funding for educational assistance of both off-island and Northern Marianas College students.

The Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee which he heads is expected to propose the reprogramming of $65,000 set aside by the Tenorio administration for the Manila Liaison Office under the FY 2000 budget package into other priority programs.

“It has to be shut down,” Reyes said in an interview. “(The budget) has to be zeroed out. We don’t need that office while the money can go to scholarship.”

He said the committee, which has to review the budget proposal submitted by the governor, would make sure that appropriation for the Manila office for the next fiscal year will be scrapped.

“My committee will not support any funding for the Marianas Liaison Office in Manila. I am giving my solemn oath to zero it out. Nobody can ever convince me and my committee that it should be funded,” explained the senator.

The office, which has currently three persons on its staff in professional service contracts, has functioned in recent months as conduit to the local medical referral program when some patients of the Commonwealth Health Center are sent to the Philippines for hospitalization.

During the previous administration, it used to review documents of Filipino contract workers recruited by CNMI companies, but that responsibility has been assumed by the local Department of Labor and Immigration.

Calling it “unnecessary for five years,” Reyes said the agreement forged by the CNMI government with St. Luke’s Medical Center in Manila for the medical referral program has made its overseas office irrelevant.

“We don’t need a government office in Manila. Just imagine how many students can benefit on the $65,000,” he asked.

Reyes has been vocal about his displeasure on recent regulations mapped out by the administration that will cut financial aid to off-island students as well as eliminate assistance to part-time NMC students.

He has lobbied the House of Representatives to increase funding for the Scholarship’s Office and warned the fiscal budget would not get Senate approval unless the committee’s concerns are not addressed.

To further pare down other expenditures, the Fiscal Affairs chairman said he would also suggest restrictions on the hiring of government personnel, particularly nurses, through manpower services.

“This time around we will stop this practice,” Reyes said, adding his committee would also remove the budget allotted for such purpose.