FLASHBACK – Mar. 5, 2012

Mar. 5, 1999

Senator: Civic duties deserve govt payback

Irked over failure by the Department of Finance to reimburse some expenditures of the legislature, Senate Vice President Thomas P. Villagomez said yesterday he would amend the in-house rules to allow members to charge costs incurred from meeting their obligations in the community. He also lashed out at Finance Secretary Lucy DLG Nielsen for denying reimbursements to legislators on community activities such as providing tents for wake, locally known as Rosary. “I feel insulted when the public auditor and the finance secretary say that tent rentals for Rosaries should not be considered as a community need,” the senator said.

Governor throws garment bill to counsels

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday withheld action on a crucial proposal seeking to cap the number of foreign workers employed in the garment industry considered an increase by some lawmakers pending review by his legal counsels. The governor said he would like to scrutinize the number proposed in House Bill 11-315, which sets at 15,727 the garment workers who would be allowed to work in the Northern Marianas. Tenorio, who just came from Washington to lobby against the White House’s fresh plan to take over local immigration and minimum wage policies, said he is worried over the bill’s potential impact on the a law banning entry of guest workers into CNMI.

Mar. 5, 2002

’Section 902 is correct’

Yes, Section 902 is correct. Administration officials clarified yesterday that Gov. Juan N. Babauta was correct when he referred to Section 902 in his February 26 letter to U.S. President George W. Bush. In that letter, Babauta said he is appointing Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente to represent the Commonwealth in negotiating for the continuation of multi-year financial assistance to the CNMI, pursuant to Section 902 of the Covenant. A prior report have said the Governor may actually have been referring to Section 702 of the Covenant, which specifies the funding levels for the multi-year federal financial assistance that is specified in Article VII of the Covenant.

Chamber backs land initiatives

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce threw its full support behind Legislative Initiatives 13-002, 13-003 and 13-004, which would allow for a CNMI-wide vote to amend current Articles XI and XII, where public and private land leases could be extended for longer leasehold terms. Chamber president Richard A. Pierce said the business organization “supports the move to create longer leasehold terms, as well as legally defining any move to purchase an existing lease for an assurance that the new lease would be at maximum term limits, if desired.” The Chamber believes that minimal achievements are needed for the initiatives to provide the economic stimulus intended, and prove sound financially to lending institutions, and promises to work with the CNMI Legislature and Administration toward this end. SCC will submit testimony at public hearings.

Mar. 5, 2003

MPLA working out settlement terms with Atalig on land grabbing case

The Marianas Public Lands Authority Board of Directors is now working on its settlement agreement with its member, Pedro Atalig, who is facing a land-grabbing lawsuit. Speaking for the board yesterday, MPLA deputy commissioner Frank Elliptico neither confirmed nor denied reports that the board has already decided to drop the case it had filed against Atalig. But he admitted that a settlement agreement with the former judge and now MPLA board member is now being worked out. “The terms of the settlement are not yet finalized so it would be premature for MPLA to comment at this time,” said Elliptico.

CUC to get DLNR’s land in Kagman

The Department of Land and Natural Resources has agreed to give its wastewater land in Kagman to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. for its sewer project, authorities said. Charles Jordan, the Governor’s special assistant for capital improvement projects, told the CUC board Friday that the DLNR would not be using the land. Jordan, however, said that formal transfer of the land would have to be made by the Marianas Public Lands Authority. “That land is not going to be used by the DLNR and therefore is to be given back to the MPLA. That process must be officially done that way,” CUC spokesperson Pamela Mathis said, quoting Jordan.