Patience is a virtue

During the Babauta Administration, there was no “moratorium” in terms of land compensation payments. Even though more funds were expended then what was taken in, there was never any concern about the negative impact of shelling out public monies from a “kitty” that had very little funding available. Consequently, the people who received payments for land compensation never complained and were apparently contented to receive what they considered rightfully theirs while the financial stability of the government deteriorated.

The recent decision by the Fitial administration to place a moratorium on payments to landowners who have the right to be compensated was not made to deprive or steal from those landowners. Rather, the decision was made primarily because of the fact that funds in public coffers are at an all-time low. It is not fair to criticize Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and insinuate that he is deliberately being negligent in terms of issuing public monies to those individuals who have waited for, in some cases, several decades to be compensated.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. When the going gets tough economically, it may not be prudent to get tough in terms of trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip. With the revenue collections being reduced more and more from the demise of more and more garment industry organizations, it is quite apparent that it will not be feasible to provide those individuals who are in line to receive land compensation payments with any funding at this particular juncture.

When the breadwinner of a family loses their job or something happens that negatively impacts the financial stability of a family, the family adjusts to the situation based on the circumstances. When the income is reduced substantially, there is a shift in terms of how much and what is spent. The steak that used to be eaten once a week is now eaten just once a month.

In the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, James Stewart was on the brink of bankruptcy when all of the people banking with him demanded their money. He took the money saved for his honeymoon and used it to appease his customers until the bank got back on its feet financially. The majority of the people understood and gave Mr. Stewart the benefit of the doubt. It might be a good idea to do the same and give Gov. Fitial the benefit of the doubt.

For the families who have been patiently waiting for their money from the government for land compensation, I am sure it has been extremely difficult. By the same token, the experience in terms of handling the dismal fiscal situation by the Fitial administration has also been difficult. I do not think the situation will last forever and fiscal improvement is possible.

Patience is a virtue and should be exercised at his time until the fiscal picture improves and stabilizes. To not be patient would be adding to an already serious fiscal problem.

Dr. Jesus D. Camacho
Delano, California