Flashback – April 25, 2012

Apr. 25, 2000

Hearing set for PSS budget requirement

The House Committee on Education holds a public hearing today to gather comments on a legislative initiative that will require the government to set aside at least 25 percent of its annual budget for the operations of the Public School System. The town meeting is scheduled at the House chamber in Capitol Hill, starting at 3:00 p.m. Rep. Brigida Ichihara, committee chair, said the recommendations proposed at today’s hearing will be used to support the measure offered by Rep. Thomas B. Pangelinan. Under the Constitution, the CNMI government is currently mandated to earmark at least 15 percent of its cash resources every year for PSS — an amount that is not sufficient now in view of the education sector’s growing population and mounting expenditures.

Teno wants more than environmental study

Expressing relief over efforts by both federal and local agencies to address the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in Tanapag, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio underscored the need to follow up on such measures to safeguard the health of village residents. The chief executive met yesterday morning with officials of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the CNMI Division of Environmental Quality to keep abreast with a risk assessment study to be undertaken in Tanapag. They told Mr. Tenorio that a group will be arriving on May 2 to collect samples of soil, water, root crops, fish, crabs and others from the area believed to be contaminated with the highly-toxic chemicals left behind by the U.S. military.

Apr. 25, 2001

Bank eyes interest in fed’s housing program

If negotiations do not miscarry, the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation is expected to get additional funding assistance for its Rural Development projects from BankPacific. Housing Chair Juan S. Tenorio revealed that his agency and the banking institution have been talking for BankPacific’s possible participation in the agency’s several home mortgage programs. Mr. Tenorio added that with the way negotiations are shaping up, BankPacific appears to be interested in joining the US Department of Housing and Urban Development initiative.

Medical account for govt workers eyed

The Legislature is eyeing the installation of a measure that would give government employees flexible spending healthcare accounts to meet their and their dependents’ medical needs. Rep. William S. Torres recently introduced the CNMI Public Employee Medical Care Savings Act of 2001 which should allow health care expenses that are not included in the standard CNMI plan to qualify as pre-tax contribution. Mr. Torres pointed out that by establishing the medical savings account, the CNMI government can provide civil service workers a high deductible health plan which are not compensated for by an insurance.

Apr. 25, 2002

$2M for THS is merely repayment for Tinian

It is only right that Gov. Juan N. Babauta allocate the $2 million in Compact Impact money to Tinian since it was Tinian that put up the $24 million that started the Marianas Public Land Trust fund, which was then used to build housing units for emigrants from the Federated States of Micronesia. Senate Floor Leader Joaquin G. Adriano stressed this point, adding that the money used to construct the housing units on Garapan and Navy Hill for FSM emigrants came from the trust fund generated from the 1978 military leaseback on Tinian. “So, the $24 million that we got from the military leaseback established the MPLT fund, from which the money was then sourced to build these housing units,” he said.

PCB soil treatment resumes

The treatment of PCB-laced soil in Tanapag has resumed since Saturday after getting a green light from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said yesterday. Frank Ono, the Army Corps’ on-island representative, said treatment operations resumed following the issuance of a conditional approval from the EPA. “They call it conditional approval because they’re completing a risk assessment that they still have to finish,” Ono said. “It just means ‘not final’.”