House questions Fitial’s signature on letter to Obama

The governor’s press secretary said yesterday he is still not sure who signed Gov. Benigno Fitial’s signature on a letter submitted to President Obama, while members of the House of Representatives raised concerns about the authenticity of Fitial’s signature on the letter during a session yesterday.

“I don’t know who signed off for the governor, but the governor supported the letter’s position. I also understand that he signed that letter while in D.C. In any case, the issue is now moot,” said Charles Reyes, press secretary for the Governor’s Office, about the March 4 letter addressed to Obama.

The letter asked Obama to let the Department of Interior administer the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, not the U.S. Department of Education as required under the law.

Fitial’s signature appeared alongside signatures of the governors of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.

Reyes earlier said the governors’ request was denied, which is supported by a letter from the Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, saying the Education Department would consult with the Interior.

Vice Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero brought up the issue during a session of the House of Representatives yesterday.

“In my interpretation, this is nothing short of a forgery,” he said, adding that he was concerned about the legality of the document.

How many governors does the Commonwealth have, Rep. David Apatang asked.

“We only voted for one governor. I wonder if there is another governor somewhere. This is very serious,” the representative said.

For his part, House Speaker Arnold Palacios said he was concerned about the impression sending a letter to the White House with a “fake” signature would look.

“How and why this happened is beyond comprehension,” he added.

In speaking with CNMI Rep. Gregorio “Kilili” Sablan, Palacios said he was informed the CNMI’s stabilization funding was delayed by a month because of the letter. Puerto Rico, the Speaker said, has already received its share.

However, Puerto Rico does not fall under the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs like the CNMI, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The issue came up after members of the Public School System’s Board of Education learned about Fitial signing the letter asking Obama to let Interior disburse the stabilization funds. BOE vice chair Herman Guerrero said he was upset Fitial wrote the letter to Obama without first asking PSS.

Press secretary Reyes yesterday said the administration encourages open dialogue between PSS and the administration.

“In fact, in the past, the PSS Commissioner [Dr. David Borja at the time] made it a point to attend our weekly Cabinet meetings. We regret that Commissioner [Rita] Sablan has not accepted our open invitation to attend our weekly Cabinet meeting and discuss educational issues directly with the administration instead of through the media,” Reyes said, adding that Dan Nielsen, the governor’s education advisor, is also available to help PSS address issues concerning the administration.