By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

BOARD of Education Chairman Roman C. Benavente and Education Commissioner David M. Borja yesterday denied tampering with the BOE’s letter to the governor as claimed by board member Herman T. Guerrero, who is the acting chairman of the board’s fiscal and personnel affairs committee.
Benavente said no official letter was sent to the governor on May 2, although he admitted that there were two identical letters prepared — one by the committee and one by himself.
“But I pulled back my letter and went ahead with the letter that the committee wanted to send to the governor,” Benavente said. “There was no of tampering with any letters…as we have yet to transmit any correspondence to the governor’s office pertaining to that (issue),” he told Variety yesterday in a telephone interview.
He said it was only yesterday at 12 noon that they sent a letter to Gov. Benigno R. Fitial stating their concern relative to the $6 million budget cut restoration bills.
“And what we sent (today) is the same letter that Mr. Guerrero wants to send to the administration,” Benavente said.
Borja said he questions Guerrero’s claim “that I have veto power over the board. I would like to say that I am not a politician and I am a public servant.”
Borja said the letter from the Public School System dated May 1 was changed to include information about BOE’s fiscal and personnel affairs committee meeting with Finance Secretary Eloy Inos.
Benavente said he prepared another letter to make it sound “diplomatic.”
The original letter, he added, was “strong.”
“Basically, when you examine the content of the two letters they’re the same. It’s just that I prefer a diplomatic type but I pulled back my letter. So there was no tampering with or changes in the language of the said letter which included information about the committee meeting with Mr. Inos,” Benavente said.
He added, “It is not the intention of the board or the commissioner to cause any problem. But now there is no issue to discuss because it’s only now that we transmitted the PSS letter to the governor and it was the original letter that the (committee) prepared.”
In the letter sent yesterday to the governor, PSS stated: “We are respectfully requesting that you sign into law at least one of the budget restoration bills that both the House and Senate have passed. ... Mr. Eloy Inos stated his support for the bill providing you with reprogramming authority. We ask that you honor this commitment.”
The Legislature recently passed House Bill 15-242, reducing the budgets of autonomous agencies by 5 percent to restore the $6 million cut in the PSS budget.
Lawmakers also passed House Bill 15-255 which allows the governor to reprogram up to $6 million for PSS by reducing the budget of all government agencies.
The governor has vetoed this bill.