Another 2-week medical leave

Robert Guerrero

Department of Public Safety Commissioner Robert Guerrero reportedly intends to take an additional two-week medical leave, which could further delay the budget hearing process of the department.

House Ways and Means Budget chair Rep. Donald M. Manglona (Ind-Rota) said in an interview yesterday that Guerrero informed him of his intention, soon after Manglona sent him a courtesy message last week to see if he can attend the budget hearing for DPS because the two-week medical leave that Guerrero had first taken is nearly over.

This development prompted Rep. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan) to recommend allocating just a $1 budget for Guerrero’s salary in the DPS budget for fiscal year 2022. She also recommended asking Guerrero for a medical slip from a doctor about his leave.

Guerrero’s last appearance before the House Ways and Means Committee last year for the budget hearing involved a tense exchange between him and Rep. Christina E. Sablan (D-Saipan), following the lawmaker’s back-to-back questions on nepotism, furloughs, and civil service rules at DPS.

The CNMI government has until Sept. 30, 2021, to enact a budget for the next fiscal year. Without a budget, the CNMI government will be forced to shut down.

Manglona said Guerrero told him last Friday about his initial doctor’s visit, that he has to do several visits, and that will be submitting an additional two-week leave. The lawmaker said he wants to bring that information to the members of his committee to see how they want to proceed with the budget hearing for DPS.

Manglona said that, according to Babauta, when her Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee issued a subpoena to Guerrero in connection with the JGO’s probe into Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ expenditures, the commissioner was at his office Monday.

With that information about Guerrero’s presence at his office, Manglona said, the Ways and Means Committee wanted to find out if the commissioner had indeed taken his leave. Manglona said he will message Guerrero to get a copy of any leave request or any delegation of authority.

“If there is none, I will bring it up to the committee to see if they want to issue a subpoena for him or, as what other members have suggested, to zero out his salary in the budget,” he said.

Manglona said he wants to bring it up to the committee members to see how they want to proceed. “We’ll find out more tomorrow during our next budget hearing,” he said.

After the Ways and Means Committee completed yesterday afternoon its hearing for the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs’ budget, Babauta said the next step for the committee in the case of DPS is to ask for a medical slip from a doctor about Guerrero’s leave.

Babauta said she also highly recommends that they put a $1 fund on Guerrero’s position—a recommendation that Sablan described as “not unreasonable.”

Sablan said Guerrero is not helping his department, that he has been thus far unavailable to participate in the budget hearing and answer the questions that they have for the department, for the needs of the department in this upcoming fiscal year, and performance of his department.

Sablan noted that the JGO Committee chaired by Babauta issued a subpoena to Guerrero and that he was at his office, and that he was also able to answer questions by the media. Yet, Sablan said, the commissioner can’t appear for a budget hearing.

Sablan also told Saipan Tribune that she supports Babauta’s request to get a doctor’s note that explains why the commissioner is medically unavailable to attend a budget hearing for his department, even as he is apparently still showing up to work, signing papers, issuing statements, responding to media requests, and other things.

“In dodging the budget process and avoiding the committee’s questions, the commissioner is not helping his department at all, or the people who work there,” Sablan said.

The lawmaker said they should perhaps zero out Guerrero’s salary in the budget and they could also consider including administrative provisions in the budget act to increase accountability at DPS, and move forward with legislative oversight hearings too.

Manglona announced at the hearing yesterday that they might schedule another meeting to discuss how to proceed with the DPS budget hearing.

At the June 8 DPS budget hearing, Guerrero did not show up as he was on Tinian, apparently for an emergency that he needed to attend. Some DPS officials were present at the hearing. Manglona then decided to continue the DPS budget hearing to June 11. That hearing did not push through either, after Guerrero called Manglona a day before, June 10, to inform him that he is on medical leave for possibly two weeks and asked to reschedule the budget hearing.

Manglona earlier stated that he would confirm if Guerrero is back in a week and a half and then they will schedule the budget hearing when the commissioner is available.