By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

LIEUTENANT Gov. Mike Cruz and his wife, Jennifer Cruz, yesterday confronted criticisms and defended themselves from allegation of nepotism in connection with her position as the new nursing supervisor of the Guam Memorial Hospital.
“She’s highly qualified for the job. She is somebody who rose from the ranks, and the only one who applied for the job,” Lt. Gov. Cruz said in defense of his wife, who now makes $90,000 a year at the hospital.
“Guam is lucky to have somebody like her. She’s a respected lady,” he added.
GMH’s decision to hire Mrs. Cruz to head the nursing department was among the topics of debate on K57’s Breakfast Show yesterday morning.
Lt. Gov. Cruz, a surgeon, once served at GMH as head of the medical staff. He is also the administration’s point-man on health care issues and initiatives.
Knowing that public criticism was coming, Lt. Gov. Cruz said he tried to discourage his wife from applying for the position.
But Mrs. Cruz, a graduate of the University of Guam, was determined to get the job. “All I have to say is that my record speaks for itself. I’ve been working at the hospital for 12 years and I am a daughter of Guam,” she said.
She said the only credential that she lacked was a master’s degree which, she said, wasn’t a requirement for the job.
Mrs. Cruz said she didn’t take a shortcut toward the position. “I went through the whole process,” she said. “I know nursing and it’s all about trust. I am a nurse and nurses trust me. I know their pains,” she said.
Lt. Gov. Cruz said when he ran for public office, he knew what to expect. “When you’re in public office, criticisms will always be there. It’s like you live in a glass house where people watch your every move,” he said.