THE secretaries of Finance and Commerce as well as the Bank of Guam have provided the House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations, and the House Committee on Ways and Means, documents and other information pertaining to the administration of the Building Optimism, Opportunity and Stability Together or BOOST program which is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
The House JGO chair, Rep. Celina Babauta, on Tuesday said Finance Secretary David DLG Atalig, Commerce Secretary Edward “Tofila” M. Deleon Guerrero, and Bank of Guam had responded to the subpoena duces tecum that the committees jointly served two weeks ago.
The committees, however, were still waiting for the response from the governor’s chief of staff, Will Castro, who had requested for another extension of the deadline.
Babauta said the committees agreed to convene on Dec. 16 to review and discuss the documents submitted by Atalig, Deleon Guerrero and BOG.
Babauta also said that “contrary to the rumors,” she did not stop the disbursements of BOOST checks.
“My office does not administer the BOOST program. I am not on the approving ‘panel.’ I have no access to the disbursement of any funds in the CNMI Treasury. So how could I possibly ‘stop’ the BOOST program? In fact, just last week, checks were being disbursed under the BOOST program,” Babauta said adding that “the only person who could stop the disbursement of checks is the sole approving authority.”
The JGO and Ways and Means committees issued subpoena duces tecum and a subpoena ad testificandum or summons to give oral testimony to Atalig, Deleon Guerrero, the Office of the Governor, Bank of Saipan President John Arroyo and Bank of Guam, giving them no later than 10 a.m. on Nov. 29.
But the committees agreed to grant a request for the extension of the deadline to Tuesday.
