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Hocog, Cing OK’d for appointments
A Senate committee tasked with reviewing appointments to the CNMI government has recommended the appointment of two nominees to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.’s board of trustees.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres had nominated Dr. Larry Hocog as one of three representatives for Saipan and William Cing as Tinian’s representative on the CHCC board.
Hocog is a practicing medical physician while Cing is the Tinian Health Center director.
The Senate Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigation, which reviewed Hocog and Cing’s appointments, have recommended their appointments.
In a letter, to Senate President Arnold Palacios, the committee stated that their appointments “meets all the necessary requirements.”
The two are expected to pass the Senate scrutiny in tomorrow’s session.
CHCC CEO Esther Muña has declined to comment on the appointment of Hocog and Cing since they were first nominated by Torres last Feb. 8, 2017.
Majority of the CHCC employees argued against the passage of Public Law 19-78 saying the additional bureaucracy that could possibly hinder CHCC’s ability to provide healthcare in times of urgent need.
The new law, which was introduced by former representative Felicidad Ogumoro, transformed the previous board’s role from a recommending body into a governing one.
A day after the passage of PL 19-78, CHCC released a statement, saying the corporation intends to “move forward” and “continue to work toward providing better healthcare.”
“We will not quit. We believe that an excellent healthcare system and a healthy population is possible in the CNMI. We won’t stop aspiring towards these goals,” Muna had said.
