By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

THE Senate has refused to act on an opposition lawmaker’s complaint regarding the questionable translation contract awarded by the administration to a businessman named in at least 10 labor complaints.
In a letter to Rep. Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan, Senate President Joseph M. Mendiola, Covenant-Tinian, said his office will wait for the administration’s findings.
“I will include your letter in our records as an official communication to the Senate. Accordingly, it shall be circulated to the members of the Senate who then shall be free to discuss the letter at the appropriate time in an upcoming Senate session,” Mendiola said.
“Beyond that, I do not think further action or comment on my part is warranted at this time…. I do not wish to make any statements until the facts are fully developed,” he added.
Torres said the translation contract was given to Thomas Cheung, also known as Cheung Ping Yin, a business associate of the governor and his son.
Attorney General Matthew Gregory approved the Division of Immigration’s translation contract with Cheung in Oct. 2006.
Subsequently, Immigration Director Melvin Grey issued a memorandum to his section supervisor, saying, “Cheung will serve as exclusive Chinese interpreter in all immigration matters requiring such service.”
But in a joint statement to the media, Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. and Attorney General Matthew Gregory said Cheung’s Man Bao Corp. “does not have an exclusive contractual relationship with the CNMI government and is only used on a very limited basis through purchase requisitions or purchase orders.”
According to the statement, “The cost for Man Bao Corp’s services is $20 per hour for Chinese-English translation. To date, the total cost for the use of the firm’s services amounts to only $200. Since the firm was hired, it has only billed for 10 hours of service, and it is not clear whether the CNMI Department of Finance has made payment.”
The Fitial administration, the statement added, thanks Torres for bringing up the issue.
“We look forward to continued cooperation and support from Representative…Torres on how we can better improve the delivery of essential public services at reduced cost.”