ACTING Department of Public Works Secretary Ray N. Yumul on Tuesday informed the Senate Committee on Executive Appointment and Government Investigation that the department’s headcount had dropped from 157 to 89 due to the “depleted” American Rescue Plan Act funds.
In his testimony during a public hearing on his nomination, Yumul also thanked Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang for their trust in him. He also thanked all those who testified in support of his nomination, including his family and friends.
He likewise thanked the committee for providing him ample time to “absorb what I would call the corporate culture” of DPW. Overall, he said, the department is “functioning satisfactorily,” but “of course, as the infamous saying goes, there is always room for improvement.”
Due to the termination of DPW’s ARPA-funded staff, Yumul said the DPW is left with 89 employees assigned to the Administrative Services Division, the Building Safety Code Division, the Energy Division, the Technical Services Division, Roads and Grounds Division, and the Solid Waste Division.
Yumul then briefed the senators on the current situation of the divisions:
1) Energy Division. It has six staffers and manages two federally funded grants: the Weatherization Assistance Program grant and the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program. Yumul said the division is operating satisfactorily.
2) Building Safety Code. The top position in this division has been vacant for quite some time, Yumul said. The previous administrator, he said, retired over five years ago. The administrator must have a practicing engineer’s or PE license. Right now, the acting building safety official is Isagani Salazar. Although he is not a licensed PE in the CNMI, he holds a license and is a graduate of an accredited engineering school in the Philippines. Yumul said the division needs periodic training and certifications to better advise and guide permit applicants.
3) The Solid Waste Division needs attention, Yumul said. The Marpi Landfill’s Cell No. 1 is at around 80% of capacity, so it will need to be “capped” like the old Puerto Rico dump which is now the Governor Eloy S. Inos Peace Park. Yumul said it will cost the department more than $4.5 million to cap Cell No. 1. He said his office is also “constantly being inundated with requests for tipping fee waivers from government offices and municipalities.”
“This loss of income impacts the ability of the CNMI government to build up funds and properly close, expand and manage the landfill cells and transfer stations,” he added. “I need to remind these government departments and agencies that we have an obligation under Title 40 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations to protect the environment and I [intend to] stay in compliance.”
4) The Roads and Grounds Division has to deal with road shoulders and “patch” four federally funded highways. It also provides grave and burial services at the Veterans Cemetery. Once Route 36 — which connects Talofofo to Kalabera and Bird Island — is completed, Yumul said he will need an additional team to maintain that stretch of highway. “We have minimal equipment ready to assist in storm water drainage cleaning and road repairs. Namely, we have one water truck, one vacuum truck, one grader and three backhoes. We also have three riding mowers, two of which are non-operational, one hydromover (nonoperational), one plow mower and one landscaper’s truck (non-operational). For our teams, we have three…emergency vehicles,” he said.
5) The Technical Services Division has five sections: Program and Engineering & Inspection, which is under the highway administrator, oversees federally funded highways; Traffic and Highway Maintenance maintains traffic signage and traffic signal lights; administrative accounting/program handles financials such as drawdowns; and Architectural, Engineering Inspection and Right-of-Way.
Yumul noted that Public Law 20-52 gives DPW the authority to promulgate rules and regulations within the right of way. But since its enactment, he said the department has not moved forward with the law’s intent.
He provided the EAGI committee a copy of a letter from the Office of the Attorney General discussing how to go about implementing it.
Yumul said his department wants to provide online access to DPW applications and information; promulgate a fee structure for floodplain survey requests; restore the taxes earmarked to the solid waste revolving fund back to 10%; and implement the five-cent per can recycling program that the Office of Grants Management, the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality and Coastal Resources Management will kick off on April 1.
Acting Department of Public Works Secretary Ray N. Yumul, third left, with Special Assistant for Administration Oscar M. Babauta, Office of the Governor staff member Paul Reyes, Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, House Vice Speaker Joel Camacho, Reps. Blas Jonathan Attao and John Paul Sablan after a public hearing on Tuesday in the Senate chamber.
