BECAUSE the Rota Casino Gaming Commission did not respond to its request, the Rota Legislative Delegation on Monday asked Rota Mayor Efraim Atalig for information pertaining to the gaming commissioners’ compensation.
The Rota delegation co-chairs, Rep. Donald Manglona and Sen. Teresita Santos, asked the Rota gaming commissioners on Dec. 28, 2021 to provide information regarding the amount of unpaid salaries owed to the commissioners; the names of the current commissioners; an update on a Rota casino license; and a financial report on all expenditures of the gaming commission for the last 10 years.
In their joint letter to the mayor, Manglona and Santos said the commission did not respond to their request so since the mayor was included to receive a copy of their Dec. 28, 2021 letter, the Rota delegation “communicates with you directly because it critically needs the information to plan accordingly to resolve any outstanding payments to past and current commission members.”
The delegation co-chairs said the Rota municipality “continuously incurs piling debt pertaining to the commission members’ salaries while there is no actual casino operation [on Rota].”
The last known chair of the Rota gaming commission is Viola Hocog Atalig, but according to Sen. Paul A. Manglona, nobody could really tell who currently serves on the gaming commission since the commissioners’ terms have expired two years ago, and the municipal council never acted on their renominations.
Senator Manglona authored Senate Bill 22-6 which proposes to abolish the annual salary of the Rota gaming commissioners, but Gov. Ralph DLG Torres vetoed it, citing the Office of the Attorney General’s concern that “the implementation of payment restrictions may likely provide grounds for disputes with the commission members.”
The Rota Legislative Delegation co-chairman, Rep. Donald Manglona, speaks during a House Education Committee meeting last week in the House chamber.
