By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

PORT Authority of Guam chairman Monte Mesa came under fire from port employees who testified against him during his confirmation hearing at the Legislature yesterday.
Port employees testifying against Mesa were led by PAG public information officer Michael P. Henderson who announced his resignation from the port after 12 years of service.
According to Henderson, he was expressing the sentiments of many port employees who are concerned with the way Mesa has been running the port.
“Let me make it clear that I respect the enthusiasm and dedication that Mr. Mesa has shown. However, he has shown time and again that he moves forward on his own agenda, without the rest of the board, input from management, legal opinions, or established laws, rules or regulations,” Henderson said.
He added that there have been more than a few instances where Mesa has attempted to hold meetings in violation of the open government law, despite recommendations from PAG staff and the port’s legal counsel.
Henderson cited the case of Brian Bamba, the son of the governor’s chief of staff, who was offered a $90,000 annual salary by the PAG board.
According to Henderson, Mesa was informed repeatedly that the offered salary was contrary to government of Guam rules.
“Yet he persisted. Further, he ignored a Freedom of Information Act request for the resume of Mr. Bamba, again despite recommendations to the contrary,” Henderson charged.
Since Mesa has been on the port board, Henderson said the port’s legal billings have increased significantly, mostly due to legal opinions sought on issues that the chairman was already informed about by the staff.
During the confirmation hearing, a petition was also circulated from almost 400 port employees and friends expressing concerns about Mesa’s leadership.
“Since the current board has taken office, micromanagement and recent suspicious actions by the chairman have caused employees to resort to becoming union members,” the petition stated.
According to the petition, each PAG board member is now overseeing specific divisions of the port and requiring division heads to make status reports at every board meeting.
All throughout his confirmation hearing, Mesa remained calm, listening patiently to his detractors and nodding his head at the criticism thrown at him.
In his testimony, Mesa said he was sorry if some of his words and actions offended people.