FLASHBACK- October 11, 2011

Oct. 11, 2000

PSS bats for maintenance budget

Board of Education member Anthony Pellegrino yesterday prodded the Legislature to provide the Public School System a general maintenance budget for the upkeep of its multi-million dollar school facilities in fresh efforts to save the school system’s dilapidating structures. Mr. Pellegrino, during a meeting with members of the House Committee on Education, disclosed that PSS’ allocated maintenance funds is now less than $300,000, barely enough to cover public schools requiring upgrades and enhancements. “We spend millions of dollars for the construction of new schools but we can’t find money to maintain them. Some schools are already in a deplorable state,” said Mr. Pellegrino. He added that PSS has never received adequate maintenance budget from the government, citing that the Legislature has somehow overlooked this aspect.

Texas Road improvement gets wide support

Various government agencies have backed the proposed opening of Texas Road to traffic and utility lines, citing the need to ease congestion along Beach Road. The House transportation committee is currently reviewing legislation that will seek funding for improvement of that stretch of back road dissecting the villages of San Jose, Susupe and Chalan Kanoa. HB 12-267 or the “Texas Road Appropriation and Development Act” is sponsored by PUTC chair Rep. Rosiky F. Camacho who has pitched the project as a solution to traffic bottlenecks in Beach Road during rush hours as well as key to sewer, water and power expansion in those areas.

Oct. 11, 2001

Hiring restrictions imposed on firms with reduced work-hours

Hiring restrictions have been imposed on local companies that were allowed to reduce working hours by the Department of Labor and Immigration. The Division of Labor recently came out with a memorandum containing a long list of locally-based companies that are banned from hiring replacements or taking in new hires through exemptions. According to the government agency, it is for obvious reasons that these companies are not allowed to take in more workers, after requesting to cut work-hours due to the economic slowdown. But the division’s acting deputy director Joe Ada said that work transfers within the CNMI are allowed.

OPA: Tie-breaker stands

The Public Auditor’s Office has denied the appeal filed by a supplier over the rejection of a protest it filed at the Division of Procurement and Supply, saying the division can indeed use the drawing of lots to break a tie in the bids of competing vendors. In an audit report dated October 9, the OPA said it found the arguments of the Island Business Systems & Supplies to be invalid, and that no prejudice to IBSS was shown when P&S used competitive sealed bidding when it solicited the bids for a photocopying machine. The photocopier was for the Department of Public Health. It appeared that the IBSS and its competitor, Xerox Corp., had equally low bids for the machine. To break the tie, P&S proposed the drawing of lots to determine the winner. The IBSS protested this manner of selecting the winner.

Oct. 11, 2002

Youths join hands in fight vs suicide

Gov. Juan N. Babauta yesterday encouraged the Commonwealth’s youths to join hands in the community-wide efforts to address concerns relating to the rising incidence of teen suicide in the Northern Marianas. The Governor spoke before about 90 students from various public and private schools on the island during the opening of the three-day First CNMI Youth Summit at the Saipan Diamond Hotel. He also talked about how he battled against peer pressure during his teenage years, as he made a pitch on values formation, which, he said, begins at home.

CUC to reorganize managerial positions

The Commonwealth Utilities Corporation intends to do a top-to-bottom reorganization as soon as the CUC Board decides on the executive director post. “We do have plans but I’d rather wait upon the selection of the executive director,” CUC acting executive director Bernard Villagomez said. He said the reorganization will most likely start from the division or managerial positions. “We’re looking at upper management,” he said. He gave the assurance that the reorganization would only include realignment, not termination. “It’s a process we call reengineering.”