By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

VICE Speaker Justo S. Quitugua yesterday said he will transfer the 10 percent deducted from his salary to the scholarship fund instead of the general fund after seeing that the administration has not been using the austerity savings properly.
Quitugua, D-Saipan, was among the lawmakers who voluntarily cut their salaries by 10 percent beginning in Sept. 2006.
“The 10 percent reduction that is going to the general fund is not being used as intended by Public Law 15-24 and there are still too many exemptions from the austerity law so I decided to go back and take my pension from the Retirement Fund and instead of giving my 10 percent cut to the general fund, it will go to the scholarship fund so that it will benefit students,” Quitugua said in an interview yesterday.
Variety learned that $151.13 is being deducted every pay period from Quitugua’s pay check.
“I volunteered to give part of my earnings to the general fund to help ease the government’s burden, but then I saw that there were just too many individuals exempted from the austerity measure and the hiring of personnel continues so I decided to help the scholarship office instead,” he said.
There are about 1,000 individuals from various government agencies and departments that have been exempted from P.L. 15-24 which mandates a 10 percent pay cut for government employees.