MPLA chair on leave but still in control

Beleaguered Marianas Public Lands Authority board chair Ana Demapan-Castro is currently off-island but she won’t delegate all her authority specifically on personnel and funding matters.

Demapan-Castro, who is accused of nepotism and giving away juicy contracts to favored individuals, said in her Feb. 10, 2006, memorandum that she is assigning board member Nicolas M. Nekai as acting chairman, but his delegation is only limited.

The chair said that “delegations of authority are restricted.”

“[It] shall not include the processing of personnel actions or personal service contract, procurement matters or reprogramming of MPLA funds,” said Demapan-Castro.

Since July 2003, Demapan-Castro has had the absolute authority to hire and fire any employee at MPLA.

“All matters concerning job applications, interviews, and selections shall be referred to the chairperson, for her approval and consent, before any action(s) is/are taken, whether adverse or not. Moreover, the board, by this memo, hereby gives the chairperson full and complete authority to exercise the administrative powers granted to the board pursuant to P.L. 12-33, as amended,” said a July 30, 2003 board memorandum.

Public Law 12-33, as amended gives the MPLA board the power “to select, employ, promote and terminate employees, employ contractors and consultants, employ legal counsels and to take any other action necessary for the management or disposition of public lands.”

A board memorandum, however, delegated this power to Demapan-Castro, who was also designated as head of the personnel committee.

The memorandum was endorsed by fellow board members Manuel P. Villagomez, Pedro J.L. Igitol and the late Pedro M. Atalig.

Sources believe that it was Atalig who initiated the drafting of the memorandum.

The same memo also delegated to Demapan-Castro the authority to terminate for cause any MPLA employee who, in her discretion, is not efficiently performing his or her duties or not complying with the agency’s regulations.

The board members then believed that it would be “in the interest of administrative economy and efficiency.”

Recently, Demapan-Castro denied any hand in the hiring of some of her relatives at the agency, saying it is member Nekai who heads the hiring committee. She had also reasoned that her relatives are qualified for their respective jobs at the agency.

Working at MPLA is Demapan-Castro’s brother, David Demapan, as chief financial officer, while her daughter Sharee Maratita is the chief of the Real Estate and Development Division.

Demapan-Castro’s son-in-law Anthony Benavente is inspector at the Homestead Division; stepson Fred Castro works for the Planning Division; and John Hofschneider, believed to be a boyfriend of one of her daughters, used to work for the Real Estate and Development Division.

Meantime, since her assumption to post as board chair, the board has terminated two commissioners: Bertha Deleon Guerrero and Henry S. Hofschneider.
Demapan-Castro is on leave for personal matters from Feb. 13 to March 1, 2006.