Senate action on 3-year limit law disgusts Chamber

Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Anthony Pellegrino yesterday criticized the double-dealing nature of some senators when they voted for the passage of Senate Bill 12-108 last week.

SB 12-108 seeks a two-year moratorium on the three year limit law, while a body made up of members from the public and private sector study its impact on the CNMI economy and community.

Mr. Pellegrino revealed that four senators assured him they would vote for an outright repeal of Public Law 11-69 days before their Thursday verdict. But to the Chamber’s disgust, the legislators backtracked on their promises.

He said that Senators Ricardo Atalig, Edward Maratita, Pete Reyes and David Cing all vowed to vote for either House Bill 12-317 or its senate version, SB- 12-044. Both measures would have repealed PL 11-69 in its entirety.

“All these senators said right to my face that they would vote for nothing else but an abrogation of the three-year limit law,” Mr. Pellegrino said. “It’s just unfortunate they did not stick to what they promised.”

Mr. Pellegrino said that according to a person close to Senator Jose Dela Cruz, the lawmaker was also determined to push for a complete repeal of the three year limit law.

Businessmen took time off their busy schedules to come to Capitol Hill that Thursday morning. Most of them were already there by 10:30am and had to skip lunch to show their support of the Chamber’s position on the three year limit.

Instead, what the 30 or so businessmen from local companies witnessed was a three-hour Senate session tackling everything except PL 11-69, Mr. Pellegrino noted.

“They did not get on with this bill until 1:30pm, a good three hours after Chamber members arrived. We we’re told before that they were going to debate which among the four bills dealing with PL 11-69 they would vote for,” he added.

The Senate that afternoon had in its disposal legislative measures, aside from HB 12-317 and HB 12-044, SB 12-108 and 12-109. The latter sought for nonresident workers already working on the island before March 5, 1999 to be exempted from the three year limit.

Mr. Pellegrino decried that instead of dealing with the urgency of the situation by voting on either of the four bills, the Senate found it better to discuss the tax amnesty bill introduced by Rep. Oscar M. Babauta.

“Although, it was their prerogative. It was an insult. I’m sorry, I believe it was arrogance on the part of the Senate. They shouldn’t have treated us as disrespectful people, would I keep them waiting for three and a half hours?,” the chamber president lamented.

And to make matters worse for the Commonwealth business organization, the House of Representatives have come out and declared they would block SB 12-108.

When asked about the position of the Chamber with regards to SB 12-108, Mr. Pellegrino said the organization has yet discuss the issue. “We, unfortunately, are back to square one, all those two months of lobbying, all for nothing.”

“My personal position — I want an all-out repeal. If they want a two-year study on the PL 11-69, they can go on with it. But I’m no longer in favor of Senator Guerrero’s bill (SB 12-108) because it still does not solve the apprehension and uncertainty of businessmen looking to invest in the CNMI,” Mr. Pellegrino said.

He argued that even with the two-year moratorium and the study of the three year limit’s impact on the economy, no businessman would gamble in the islands knowing that it has an unstable labor force.