FLASHBACK – October 8, 2011

MVA’s request for $1M in emergency funds backed[/B]

The Commonwealth Ports Authority has expressed support to the Marianas Visitors Authority’s request for an emergency measure funding of $1 million. The additional funding has been eyed to help the MVA effectively promote the Northern Marianas as a safe tourist destination, in light of the worsening travel scare caused by the September 11 terror attacks. Citing the possible damages that may virtually cripple the CNMI’s revenue base, which may eventually affect the delivery of public services, the CPA Board urged the 12th CNMI Legislature to appropriate the needed financial assistance to the MVA’s marketing and promotional activities.

The State Board of Education recently moved to reprogram its remaining Fiscal Year 2001 operating balance to the purchase of students’ books. The board’s adjusted balance of $12,399, according to a Public School System fiscal report, has been set aside for the procurement of the instructional materials. The BOE, on Thursday, also voted to assign a portion of its FY 2002 staffing budget to hire a full time equivalent tasked to write bid specifications under the PSS’ Capital Improvement Projects. Instead of hiring two administrative assistants as provided for under its budget, the BOE has decided to reserve one item for the professional position.

Tenorio starts term as APIL vice president[/B]

House Vice Speaker Manuel A. Tenorio has officially started a year-long term as Vice President of the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures representing the Commonwealth Legislature. Heinz S. Hofschneider, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has appointed Tenorio to serve as an official of the 12-member entity Pacific organization. Tenorio, who was sworn into the post by Supreme Court Associate Justice Alexandro Castro last week, was supposed to assume the organization’s presidency but decided to give way to the current chief, Pohnpei Vice Speaker Quirino I. Mendiola, for purposes of continuity. According to the CNMI legislator, the setup would allow Mendiola, who is serving his second consecutive term as APIL president, to continue pushing for the projects he has started on behalf of the organization.

House members have offered a resolution recognizing members of the Freely Associated States community for their social and economic contributions to the Northern Marianas. In the form of a House resolution, Vice Speaker Manuel A. Tenorio, the author, hailed working Micronesians for their part in keeping the CNMI’s economic fate resilient. “Even amid an economic downturn, they stayed and contributed to the local economy. Some of them are providing valuable services in the managerial level, in education, tourism and other areas. We should show them how much we value their input,” said Tenorio in an interview yesterday.

NMI labor and immigration get $600K grant[/B]

The U.S. Department of the Interior has awarded the CNMI a $600,000 grant to help beef up the processing of labor complaints, immigration hearings, and the handling of displaced workers. The Attorney General’s Office announced yesterday that the grant will help provide funding for two hearing officers at the Department of Labor, as well as three attorneys and two paralegals dealing exclusively with labor and immigration issues at the AGO. A total of $33,980 has also been set aside for training of new and current enforcement officers in the Labor Department. “The Department of Labor has identified available funding to recruit a greater number of enforcement personnel to meet the CNMI’s goal of making labor law enforcement more effective and efficient,” said attorney general Pamela S. Brown.

The Coastal Resources Management Office received close to $1.3 million as grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. CNMI press secretary Pete Callaghan said Gov. Juan N. Babauta accepted Wednesday the grant money amounting to $1,296,000, about two-thirds of which would support personnel expenses, while the rest would be used for operations and special projects. Callaghan emphasized that the CRMO has been involved with numerous activities to protect and restore the CNMI’s coastal resources. One of the agency’s undertakings with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the restoration of the Saipan Lagoon by working on the reduction of sediment runoff flowing into the waters.