CUC’s Sablan urged to issue a

Rep. Arnold Palacios has urged Commonwealth Utilities Corp. chair Herman P. Sablan to put out a more comprehensive performance report for the past year.

Palacios and Rep. David Apatang attended the CUC board of directors’ meeting yesterday, when Sablan and CUC executive director Lorraine Babauta each delivered their annual reports.

A member of the Public Utilities, Transportation and Communication Committee at the House of the Representatives, Palacios described Sablan’s report as “very brief.”

The CUC chair, he added, should release a more thorough assessment of the utilities corporation and make it available to the public.

“I think that CUC is currently stable as it is. The board and management have made progress. But as residents of the CNMI, we all know that there are still a lot of challenges that the corporation needs to identify, articulate, and address,” Palacios said in an interview.

In his report, Sablan said that guiding “this ever-controversial corporation” over the past year has been a challenge.

“Over the past 12 months, CUC has seen the best and worst of times. Even amongst the board, there’s been controversy and differences of opinions, but that’s what made this challenge worth the while,” Sablan said.

He also commended Babauta for her patience and impartiality amid the differing opinions of the board members.

Among the achievements highlighted by Sablan were the establishment of the Appeals Committee in Oct. 2003, the reinstatement of acceptance of major credit cards for payment of utility bills for customer convenience, and the signing of a memorandum of agreement with the Commonwealth Development Authority regarding the operation of the Water Task Force.

Sablan noted that under the leadership of CUC director Velma Ann Palacios, the Personnel Committee helped set up the corporation’s first classification and compensation plan for its employees.

“CUC has long been without such plan and this is a great achievement, as it will ensure fair hiring practices and compensation and promotion of our employees,” he said.

He added that the Personnel Committee has started revision of CUC’s human resources manual and development of a performance appraisal form, and has been prompt to hear employee appeals and grievances.

On the operations side, the CUC board has approved amendments to its electric service regulations regarding its line extension policy, and changed the application of the 1-percent late charge from 15 days to 30 days.

Sablan expressed disappointment over the CUC board’s decision to cancel the request for proposals for the planned water desalination project, which earned much controversy and debate.

But he was quick to add, “Although I was very disappointed, I must respect each board member’s opinion and right to vote as they did. However, I hope that the new chairman will follow through and ensure Saipan’s water crisis is addressed immediately.”