By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

SENATORS yesterday declined Gov. Felix P. Camacho’s request for the Legislature to expand his fiscal power, suggesting that Guam’s current financial predicament is an indication of the governor’s inability to handle a blank check properly.
“What will it accomplish?” Speaker Mark Forbes, R-Sinajana, said when asked to comment on the governor’s request for full funding allotment control. “I got the impression that the governor feels he has no control over the government’s finances and I find it interesting.”
In his State of the Island Address, the governor admitted that GovGuam is in a financial crisis, attributing the situation partly to the budgetary restrictions on the administration’s cash management authority and unchecked spending by large agencies, particularly the Guam Public School System.
“The crisis is affecting all other agencies of the government, not just GPSS. If the lack of funding control is the problem, then why is it that other education agencies such as Guam Community College and the University of Guam are not getting money either?” Forbes asked.
“If the purpose of controlling GPSS funds is to reduce the money that goes to GPSS, then there’s no need to give the governor funding control because that is already happening. GPSS is not getting the full amount of cash allotted to the agency,” Forbes said, adding that GPSS needs to maintain its independence.
A source in the administration told Variety that the speaker was upset with the governor’s address.
According to the source, Forbes twice mentioned, “We will unleash the dogs of war on the governor” in the presence of a Cabinet official and the governor’s staff.
Minority Leader Judi Won Pat, D-Malojloj, said Camacho’s admission of the true fiscal state of GovGuam came a little too late.
“We’ve been saying that for a long time. We’ve been asking for correct financial reports and a deficit reduction plan, but we never got one. I don’t agree with his statements blaming GPSS for the financial crisis,” Won Pat said.
Won Pat said the fiscal recovery and cost containment measures presented in the State of the Island Address were a rehash of an old plan, which has never been implemented. “What did he do instead? He gave his people pay raises. Travel was not reduced,” Won Pat said.
“Now he is asking for a blanket allotment control. Seeing the way things are happening now, I don’t think we can give him a blank check,” she added.
Won Pat said the Democrats have been willing to work with the administration but the governor never extended invitations to the minority senators.
Assistant Minority Leader Rory Respicio, D-Agana Heights, was not satisfied with the deficit figure the governor presented.
“I sat and listened to the governor’s speech and wondered how unfortunate it was to downplay the true state of our financial affairs. Governor Camacho only acknowledged $700 million, whereas this amount has surpassed the $1 billion mark,” Respicio said.
“I expected him to say we have to enhance revenue, reduce spending, freeze this or freeze that because the solutions have been very obvious,” he said.
However, Respicio added, the choices have not been as obvious because of a lack of transparency and credibility in the current budget process.
Respicio said the Legislature is not beyond reproach. “I think it is extremely unfortunate that Republican senators want to wait for the governor’s deficit elimination plan and the 28th and now the 29th Guam Legislatures have not used due diligence in providing a check and balance to the budget process,” he said.
Sen. James Espaldon, R-Tamuning, said he wanted to hear the details of the governor’s economic recovery plan. “I need to examine what he said. His speech was short. I expected more. I expected to hear specific details,” he said.
Sen. Frank Ishizaki, R-Yona, described the governor’s State of the Island Address as “a good speech.”
“I look forward to working with the administration specifically on reorganization plans and cost containment measures. The speech is not as important as the actual working together to arrive at solutions to our problems,” Ishizaki said.
Sen. Ben Pangelinan, D-Barrigada, criticized the governor for passing the blame on to the Legislature. “He never mentioned that he didn’t do his job. Things are happening despite the fact that he is supposedly in control of the budget. He has the power to stop what has been happening, but he hasn’t done it,” Pangelinan said.
“Whenever I come to hear the governor’s address, I look for the politician governor and the leader governor. Today we saw a politician governor. What we need is a leader governor,” Pangelinan said, describing the governor’s address as “no beef, no bun, just the relish.”
Sen. Tina Muna Barnes, R-Mangilao, said Camacho’s request for funding control at GPSS is an issue that must be tossed back to the people of Guam.
“The people voted for members of the education board so it’s up to the people to decide whether or not they want to take the funding control away from the people that they voted onto the board,” she said.
But rather than asking for funding allotment control, Barnes said, the administration must focus on raising revenues.
Barnes said she was disappointed that the governor did not discuss any plans to build community partnerships to prepare the island for military expansion.
Sen. Frank Blas, R-Barrigada, said he looks forward to reading the deficit elimination plans. “I appreciate the governor for recognizing that we are facing a fiscal crisis and I look forward to being a part of the solution. But time is of the essence. Every day that this issue is not addressed means more money that we will owe,” Blas said.