WHILE House members grumble about the government’s declining revenue—particularly the cuts in THEIR budgets—administration officials have been implementing specific cost-cutting measures with targeted savings. Public Safety Commissioner Ed Camacho has drastically reduced OT in his department, while acting Labor and Immigration Secretary Jack Tenorio has disconnected several phone lines and discontinued the leases of four cars used by DOLI. The Office of the Governor, for its part, has capped its cell phone expenses and ordered all departments and agencies to stick to the budget ceiling. The governor, moreover, says he is willing to borrow money to ensure that the delivery of vital public services will continue and that no government employee will lose his job.
And what has the House of Representatives done so far to address the government’s financial crisis? Besides whining, House members who had said NOTHING in the past about legislative approval of the lifting of the salary cap are now insisting on it, and are even threatening to sue the governor, their own party’s titular head, as if it were the most critical problem the CNMI is facing and its resolution will end the islands’ economic malaise. Incidentally, guess who will have to pay for the cost of this litigation if someone would listen to the House members and take the governor to court.
Someone should remind the House leadership that finding money for this cash-strapped government is foremost among THEIR responsibilities to the people. Sadly, however, the House members appear to be more concerned about spending non-existent public funds than generating them. The people have yet to see a proposal from the House that could raise additional revenue or help the government save money. NOTHING. The speaker complains about the lack of “quality” House bills but he has, so far, resisted the temptation to lead by example and introduce “quality” legislation. Besides grandstanding, what exactly is the House leadership’s plan to help improve the government’s financial condition? What is their alternative to the budget cuts? What have they done to save money and cut costs?
Here’s what they should do. Instead of going to the media, they should meet with the governor, discuss their concerns and try to find a reasonable solution acceptable to everyone. This controversy is a mere glitch, but it is also a distraction. The administration and the House members should move on. They should focus on the REAL problems confronting the commonwealth. Whether or not Celina R. Babauta should receive the salary given to her predecessor is NOT, we repeat, NOT the cause of the economic slump and the government’s shrinking revenue base.
The House leadership, at any rate, is lucky that the governor is keeping his composure and has so far said nothing about the sheer pettiness of their actions and pronouncements. Can you imagine what Froilan C. Tenorio would have said—and done—if lawmakers pulled the same stunt when he was governor?
