Lawmakers hear from PUA recipients

Members of the CNMI Legislature met last Wednesday in a town hall-style forum with people who claim that they have yet to receive any Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits from the CNMI Department of Labor.

The forum, held at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe, saw members of the Office of the Minority of the 21st House of Representatives listening to the concerns and questions of an estimated 30 people regarding their PUA benefits, many of whom talked about their struggles with the program. Some vented that they had been waiting for months and have yet to receive a single cent, some said they were wrongfully denied benefits, and majority stated that they were poorly assisted by PUA staff.

According to minority leader Rep. Tina Sablan (D-Saipan), the aim of the meeting is to gather information from constituents to ultimately assist DOL in improving the PUA program. “Our hope is that the testimonies and the findings we gathered will ultimately assist our Department of Labor in improving the delivery of services and accounting for all the money that has been received that really should be distributed to constituents who are in need of this assistance,” she said.

All the testimonies, Sablan said, will be compiled and made available to the public as well as the Torres-Palacios administration. “In terms of next steps, we’re going to compile our notes from the testimonies that we received and we will be making this report available to the public as well as to colleagues from the Legislature, to the Office of [Delegate] Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan, the [Office of the] Public Auditor, to the [Torres-Palacios] administration, to the Department of Labor, to the Department of Finance, and the governor as well,” she said.

Labor Secretary Vicky Benavente, who declined an invitation to the town hall meeting, later said in a statement yesterday that DOL looks forward to reviewing the public comments from the hearing and hope that elected officials can work diligently with the department on educating the public about how these federal guidelines work when running a complex program like PUA.

She added it is “unfortunate that Sablan did not publicly disclose the communications and chose to politically grandstand” with her colleagues even after being educated about the PUA adjudication process as standardized by the U.S. Department of Labor

“We hear and empathize with our claimants’ frustration in the complexity of this federal program and federal guidance. In order to ensure the integrity of the program, the future of continued federal support, and the prevention of CNMI liability on fraudulent claims —the Department of Labor must operate within the confines of the applicable federal law and institute safety measures to prevent fraudulent claims,” she said.

Benavente added that the department understands that PUA claimants may want answers about their claims and issues they face but there are confidentiality restrictions.

“Many of the general questions, such as reasons for disqualification and reporting requirements, can be answered by the Benefit Rights Handbook published on the department’s website, marianaslabor.net. However, in light of confidentiality restrictions, it would be imprudent and insensitive of the CNMI Department of Labor to disclose information on specific or pending claims in a public forum,” she said.

Others officials at the town hall meeting were Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP), Rep. Edmund Villagomez (Ind-Saipan), Rep. Shiela Babuata (D-Saipan), Rep. Richard Lizama (Ind-Saipan), Rep. Donald Manglona (Ind-Rota), and Rep. Franklin Babauta (Ind-Saipan).