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Full support for Sablan as DCCA chief
Mary Margaret “Maggie” Santos Sablan appears before the Senate Executive Appointments and Government Investigations Committee, which conducted a confirmation hearing yesterday for her appointment as secretary for the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)
The Senate Executive Appointments and Government Investigations Committee had its first confirmation hearing yesterday, with Mary Margaret “Maggie” Santos Sablan, who was appointed to serve as secretary of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, being the first on deck.
Committee chair Sen. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan) later said the committee will be recommending Sablan’s confirmation to full Senate body. This comes after the committee heard the full support of several people who testified in favor of Sablan’s nomination and after conferring with committee members.
Babauta said Sablan has demonstrated the commitment to lead DCCA in a direction to promote fairness and compassion to members of the community, including the man’amko or senior citizens.
Oscar M. Babauta, the newly appointed special assistant for the administration of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, introduced Sablan to the committee at the hearing.
Oscar Babauta said Sablan brings with her over 49 years of experience in both the public and private sectors and previously served as chief of the Administrative Services for DCCA for almost 10 years.
He said Sablan had worked for the Public School System, the Developmental Disability Planning office, and the CNM Museum of History and Culture.
Sablan also worked with the hotel industry for the Tan Holdings Corp., and recently with the Northern Marianas Humanities Council.
Sablan had also served on the boards of the American Red Cross CNMI Chapter, the Northern Marianas Trade Institute, and Mt. Carmel School.
Sablan studied at the University of Colorado and is a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Sablan said that, as in everything she does, she will do her best. She said is a retiree and that she came out of retirement because of her appointment.
“I’m happy to serve and especially a department that I’ve been, I worked with for most of my work life. It’s a wonderful place to be. It’s also a lot place where you have a lot of people and you serve a lot of people, thus a lot of issues. But it’s very fulfilling,” Sablan said.
