Veterans Affairs Office not relocating from current site

The Veterans Affairs Office is not going anywhere.

Veterans Affairs Office executive officer Stanley T. Iakopo set the record straight with a short, “We’re not moving anywhere,” when asked about reports of the VAO relocating offices.

The unconfirmed report claims that the VAO is being relocated to the Indigenous Affairs Office on Capital Hill.

At the House of Representatives session yesterday, lawmakes expressed concern over the fate of CNMI veterans. Federal & Foreign Affairs chair Rep. Luis John Castro (R-Saipan) raised issues on the confidentiality of documents and the loss of confidence from the veterans, should the two offices be located in one small space. Castro said that the VAO has already established itself on Capital Hill, where veterans can comfortably meet with the staff as well as Iaokopo.

“In addition, the issue that I see is that, in regards to certain parameters of dialogue between the veterans and the Veterans Affairs Office, they need confidence that their concerns are heard in a comfortable manner,” he added. “We’re not criticizing where they’re going to, but that building, it really small so there’s a good possibility that information that is supposed to be held in strict confidence might not be so confidential in the long run.”

He also raised concerns about social distancing, which could be a violation of the current directive to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

“We owe our veterans a little bit more,” Castro said. “Our veterans don’t ask for much. If we are able to give them that opportunity where they can dialogue with the people that are seeing them, in a comfortable manner, then I feel that we it owe it to them.”

House vice speaker Rep. Lorenzo Deleon Guerrero (R-Saipan) echoed Castro’s concerns. “You cannot mix apples and oranges. This is with regards to the Veterans Affairs and putting them in another office,” he said. “There’s a lot of confidentiality. …For one thing, the DD 214 is a very critical document. …That’s the discharge papers for the veterans.”

The House vice speaker, however, said that he was able to communicate with Iakopo, who informed him that Gov. Ralph DLG Torres has assured that the VAO is not relocating.

“The governor told him flat, ‘You’re not relocating. You’re staying where you’re at.’”

“I hope this is good news for the Veterans Affairs Office, and the veterans. I even emphasized to Mr. Iakopo that your office there is sacred for veterans. They’ve been there. They’ve practically built it from the ground up, and there’s no sense to relocate them,” Deleon Guerrero said.