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Liberation day celebration losses annoy lawmakers
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Posted on Apr 09 2001
The Legislature ordered the Liberation Day Committee to submit a full accounting report of revenues, including total expenditure of programs and activities for the July 4th celebration.
The Legislature said it will grant the $70,000 appropriations requested by the Liberation Day Committee provided it is able to completely account for all the expenses incurred in the past July 4 celebrations.
However, legislators were initially apprehensive whether or not to grant the Committee’s funding request because of the consistent deficit suffered by the July 4 celebration body since 1994.
Legislators also asked the committee, which is under the auspices of the Saipan Mayor’s Office, to be fiscally responsible and to submit full audit report on the expenses incurred during the duration of the activity.
The Saipan-Northern Islands Legislative Delegation has been carefully looking at the funding request, noting that there has never been any return of investments for the past years.
In fact, lawmakers disclosed that there has been a continued deficit despite fundraising activities like the Liberation Queen. Also, villages had been set up to sell commodities to visitors and the community.
Since the economy spiraled down in 1994, the July 4 celebration hardly made any money and several companies, including recipients of fundraisers remain unpaid until now.
Lawsuits and complaints were filed against the committee for the past years.
The legislature approved the appropriations provided that adequate reporting will be submitted once the activity is over.
The committee is currently headed by former NMI Retirement Fund administrator Ed Manglona. (EGA)
