Rota delegation to get to the bottom of Ayuyu termination

Rota legislative delegation chair Sen. Juan Ayuyu said yesterday that they will get to the bottom of the decision by the municipality’s acting mayor to fire the Rota Health Center’s resident director to determine if the action is for the best interest of the island’s residents.

Sen. Ayuyu said they also want to make sure that Crispin Ayuyu’s termination did not violate his constitutional rights.

Acting mayor Arvin Ogo fired Rota Health Center resident director Crispin Ayuyu without cause on Tuesday and named Dr. James Toskas to the position in an acting capacity.

Upon learning about the termination of Crispin Ayuyu, Sen. Ayuyu said he tried to contact both the acting mayor and Mayor Melchor Mendiola himself, to no avail. Mendiola is currently on leave.

Sen. Ayuyu said they also failed to get any word from Crispin Ayuyu about the matter.

Sen. Ayuyu told Saipan Tribune that the delegation will set an immediate meeting with Mendiola as soon as he returns, along with the Rota Municipal Council, which confirms the appointment of resident directors.

“We tried to contact the mayor to get some explanation but were unable to talk to him. I don’t know if he’s off island or on island but as soon as he comes back we will meet with him to understand what’s really happening at the center,” said Ayuyu, adding that the delegation has a right to be informed about issues at the municipality’s level.

The delegation chairman could not immediately say if Crispin Ayuyu’s termination has had any impact on the operation of the center. He pointed out that in these times of economic hardship, “more collaboration and team work” should be observed from all government agencies such as the delegation and the municipalities.

Saipan Tribune learned that Sen. Ayuyu last spoke to Crispin Ayuyu two weeks ago, during which the delegation chairman informed the resident director about the recommendation to Mendiola to reprogram some funds to pay for the unpaid salaries of nurses at the health center. “That was the last communication I had with the resident director,” he said.

He said the delegation had recommended to Mendiola to reprogram $60,000 from the landfill project to keep the services of the nurses at the center. The mayor, based on the law that appropriated funds for the landfill project, is the expenditure authority and has to submit a request to Office of Management and Budget.

Yesterday, press secretary Angel Demapan said the “administration has approved the reprogramming of some $30,000 per the request for the Mayor of Rota to make outstanding payments to the nurses there. While the request was for $60,000 in funds, OMB has only identified half of that amount as funds available for reprogramming.”

Last Thursday, acting governor Eloy Inos placed the Commonwealth Health Center and centers in Rota and Tinian under state of emergency as a result of shortfalls in budget and services.