Villagomez eyes special committee to handle any BOOST investigation

Edmund Villagomez

House of Representatives Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez (Ind-Saipan) has disclosed that he is looking at possibly creating a special committee to focus on the Torres administration’s Building Optimism, Opportunity and Stability Together, or BOOST Program, should an investigation need to be carried out further.

Villagomez said Tuesday that he is looking at possibly appointing seven House members to that special committee that will be tasked not so much of redoing the 22nd House committees’ investigation into the BOOST Program, but maybe continuing where they left off.

“But it doesn’t necessarily have to start from the House anymore; it can start in the Senate,” he said.

BOOST is a project of the previous Office of the Governor, the Department of Finance, and Department of Commerce that aims to provide financial assistance to CNMI businesses and non-profit organizations.

Through BOOST, financial assistance is provided to local businesses and non-profit organizations in the form of grants and business coaching through counseling and training programs.

During the 22nd House final session last Jan. 5, then-representative Christina E. Sablan (D-Saipan) stated that even with the thousands of pages of records collected, and the hours of testimony received in the final days before the end of their term, the joint committee has only begun to scratch the surface of the gross waste, abuse, and fraud that have occurred in the BOOST Program.

The 22nd House Ways and Means Committee and the Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee jointly recommended that further legislative investigation into the BOOST Program is needed, and should continue in the 23rd Legislature.

Villagomez said such recommendation seems to be one of the issues, so he might be creating the special committee.

He said it also does not prevent the Senate from doing their oversight and investigation on the BOOST program.

The speaker noted that prior to the closing of the 22nd Legislature, the investigation of the BOOST was done under two committees whose former chairperson are now in the Senate.

Sen. Donald M. Manglona (Ind-Rota) used to chair the House Ways and Means Committee, while Sen. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan) served as chairwoman of the House JGO.

Villagomez said the 22nd House had put out a public document in a form of a House communication so the investigation on BOOST is up for grabs.

As what was done in the 22nd Legislature, one of the House members recycled a minority report from the 21st House that prompted the JGO investigation, Villagomez said. The speaker was referring to the JGO investigation into then-governor Ralph DLG Torres’ travels and expenditures of public funds.

Villagomez said that before the 22nd Legislature closed, there was discussion whether the joint committee’s investigation can be issued as a committee report or House communication.

“Ss long as we get it out as a public document or public record, we don’t have to worry about starting from the scratch again. It can pretty much be reused to reopen the investigation or oversight, if it’s needed,” he said.

The speaker said the joint committees did not come up with a report on BOOST after failing to meet the 72-hour time required under the Open Government Act.

“So with the Open Government Act, it’s very unique. We can suspend certain rules to amend the agenda. Now, if it’s a House communication, it’s just something that we’re just putting out there,” he said.

Villagomez said if it’s something that requires action, even if they were to suspend certain rules, to include things that did not meet the 72 hours requirement. they have to give it another session day to act.

“So, say we want to act on a bill right away and it’s not on the agenda, we can only add it to the calendar or to the agenda but we cannot touch it until the next session,” he said.

So why not just let the current Ways and Means, and the JGO Committees continue the investigation? Villagomez said that one of the things that they had seen in the 22nd House was that, although issues like BOOST fall under Ways and Means or the JGO, the JGO Committee especially still had a lot of bills to work on, but they were overloaded with the investigation.

He said part of their job too is to get legislation moving or not moving, but they cannot just put that on the side for other things.

“We’re [going to] have to try to work hard and collaboratively and in a good balance. Okay, you want to do the investigation? Fine, but don’t forget that we have legislation too that’s sitting in the committee,” Villagomez said.

He said possibly creating the special committee is needed so everybody is not as stressed.