By Trina A. San Agustin
Variety News Staff

THE Guam Public School System was able to avoid power disconnection yesterday after Gov. Felix P. Camacho used his Organic Act authority to arrange a payment to the Guam Power Authority. But the Attorney General’s Office says GPSS must make its full payroll.
“Attorney General Alicia Limtiaco has repeatedly made public statements that GPSS must follow wage and hour laws and make full payroll,” a statement from the AGO said.
The AGO issued no further comments as of press time.
GPSS entered into a preliminary injunction last month after the AGO and the Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against GPSS Superintendent Luis Reyes for falling short of paying the full payroll and distributing only the employees’ net pay.
This left GPSS employees wondering who will remit their monthly payments to banks and insurance companies, among other expenses.
The injunction ordered Re-yes and GPSS to pay its arrears to payroll vendors whenever they are in receipt of money from the local government. This is why GPA threatened GPSS with disconnection of services if a payment was not made yesterday afternoon.
Payment made
A check from the Department of Administration was cut yesterday afternoon totaling $965,876.66 made payable to GPA. This amount was for GPSS’s February 2007 billing and a $150,000 payment on a promissory note.
Gov. Felix P. Camacho yesterday invoked his Organic Act authority to “protect the health and safety of Guam’s public school students.” Camacho ordered the payment to GPA to avoid the disconnection of services.
“I have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of the more than 31,000 public school students,” Camacho wrote to DOA director Lou Perez. “The disconnection of power service to classrooms and cafeterias will endanger their health and safety. As such, I invoke my Organic (Act) authority and I hereby order you to remit payment directly to the Guam Power Authority for the past due billings owed by GPSS despite concerns by the attorney general on direct payment to GPSS vendors.”