Aging Office seeks exemption from austerity measures

Aging director Rose Mondala has asked the governor to fully exempt the Office on Aging from austerity measures that will be implemented this fiscal year 2012, including the closure of government agencies every Friday.

Mondala, in an interview yesterday, confirmed that her request was hand-delivered to the Office of the Governor by program coordinator Walter Manglona and members of the Saipan Seniors Advisory Council on Oct. 6.

In a directive he issued on Sept. 30, 2011, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said that the government will continue to observe 16 austerity hours per pay period to adhere to the $102-million spending level budgeted for each department/agency by Public Law 17-55.

Because of the directive, all government departments and agencies, including Office on Aging, were closed on Oct. 7, the first austerity Friday for fiscal year 2012.

Mondala argues that the Office on Aging should be exempted from the Friday closure since their operation is funded by federal grants.

“We should be exempted because our federal grant mandates it,” she told Saipan Tribune.

Besides Mondala’s letter, a letter signed by council chair Teresita Sorroza and endorsed by 48 Aging Center congregates was also submitted to Fitial, who left for the Philippines on Thursday due to an “urgent family matter.”

Mondala said that almost all of their programs, including the salaries of 17 of their 24 employees, are federally funded.

The director disclosed that she had expected the Office on Aging to be exempted from the austerity measures also because of their recently approved state plan, which she said indicates a five-day operation per week.

“We have to follow the state plan. That’s our word to the feds and that’s how we get the money. During the days when we don’t come to work, we have to explain to the feds why it happened,” she explained.

If the Office on Aging still shut down on Friday, Mondala said she will have to report the incident to the Administration on Aging under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“I don’t want them to stop the grant. But it’s better for me to tell the truth now before the AoA finds out that we’re closed on Friday,” she said.

As of yesterday, Mondala said that they have yet to receive a response from the Office of the Governor regarding the matter.

“Now we have to wait and pray. That’s all we can do,” she said.