COMMONWEALTH Utilities Corp. Executive Director Gary Camacho on Monday appeared before the House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations to answer questions regarding Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’s utility bills at his private residences, and the reimbursements the governor received for the payments he made in cash.
Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, who attended via video conference, asked how long Camacho has been the executive director of CUC, and how familiar he is with the corporation’s policies in billings, procedures in installations, relocations and procurement.
Camacho said, he has been CUC’s executive director for five years now, adding that he is familiar with its policies on billings and procedures in installations, relocations and procurement.
He said he appeared without counsel because “I do not think I need one at this time.”
Rep. Vicente Camacho asked about the utility bills at the governor’s previous residence in Koblerville and the current one in As Teo where, he added, there is a piggery that consumes “too much water.”
The CUC official was also shown memorandums indicating that aside from his utility bills in As Teo, the governor was also reimbursed for the utility bills at his previous residence in Koblerville. However, the CUC account was registered under the name of the governor’s sister, Judy Marie Torres.
Rep. Vicente Camacho said the record seems to show that CNMI taxpayers paid for the governor’s utility bills at multiple locations.
The lawmaker said according to the records, the total billings for governor’s utilities between January 2015 and August 2021, including his sister’s CUC account at his former house in Koblerville, amounted to $177,178.68.
“That is a lot of money, Mr. Camacho. Based on your experience and observation in all your years at CUC does this seem excessive for a household?” the lawmaker asked.
The CUC official replied, “You know, I really don’t like to venture too far into how people live their lives and what they do at their homes, but I can refer to average. Whatever it is from there, it is really a determination by this committee. But for me, if it exceeds that average, then obviously, it ventures farther and farther away from norm.”
“Yeah, especially if we are talking about one person’s utility bills,” Rep. Vicente Camacho said.
Asked by Rep. Edwin Propst about the average power consumption of a household per month, the CUC chief said, “I would imagine around $700 to $800, but varies depending on the economics.” And the number of ratepayers today, he said is roughly 15,000.
Propst showed CUC’s Camacho a water bill of the governor, amounting to $15,309.52. He said “this is one of the…billings…with extremely high volumes of water. Do you know why the governor uses so much water?”
At the time of the billing, Gary Camacho said he did not know.
The committee also presented records indicating that the governor has at least three metered CUC accounts “associated with his As Teo property — one for outside kitchen, one for piggery and one for garage and the guard house.”
“Are you aware of this?” Propst asked.
The CUC chief said he was not familiar with those accounts, but if they were for power meters, he should be aware of them.
Rep. Vicente Camacho said the governor paid CUC upfront in cash and received reimbursement for it later. In March 2029, for example, the governor paid CUC $6,630.70 in cash for his bill from Oct. 2018 to Feb. 2019, and got reimbursed the next day, the lawmaker said.
He asked the CUC executive director, “Does a governor making CUC bill payments in such a large amount of cash strike you as unusual?”
The CUC chief said “it is unusual but it is not uncommon” because there are also other customers who come to CUC to pay large amounts.
“Have you ever seen other governors and lt. governors paying CUC bills with large [amount of] cash?” Rep. Vicente Camacho asked.
The CUC chief said: “I was never in a role to be involved or even be informed as to any activities pertaining to any governor’s accounts, and frankly speaking, even anybody’s account. Even today, I don’t get very much information about any account.”
Propst said if the governor would have to pay CUC $6,600, he would need sixty-six $100 bills which would not fit in his wallet.
Propst said other people would pay with credit card because an average person doesn’t carry that amount of cash.
“The committee was surprised that somebody, especially the governor, is making that type of payment,” Propst said.
He then asked the CUC chief if the governor had been late in making payments.
Gary Camacho said yes.
The lawmaker asked if anyone from CUC issued the governor a disconnection notice.
“Yes,” the CUC official replied.
“Was the governor’s power ever disconnected?” Propst asked.
“I am not sure. I’ve never heard from him in that regard. We were not certain whether they have or not.”
Propst said based on the records the committee reviewed, there is no record of any disconnection payment or reconnection fee that the governor paid CUC.
“So based on the records we know that the governor was never disconnected — is that correct?” Propst asked.
“It seems to be the case, yes,” the CUC official replied.
Propst asked, “Why does the governor get preferential treatment over our residents many of whom have been just a day late, and had their power disconnected and have to pay reconnection fee? What can we say to our ratepayers who have been disconnected? Why is it that the governor has been late several months and never disconnected?”
Gary Camacho said it is not CUC policy for sure, and “if there is any issue to that, then I am going to have to look into it.”
He said the decision to either disconnect or not the governor’s power or any government’s agency’s depends on the Department of Finance making a payment commitment.
In the past, government agencies would tell CUC the bill would be taken care of, he added.
If Finance, for example, says, the payment is on its way “then I make the decision not to [disconnect], and wait for the payment,” he said.
“With all due respect to each and every one of you, many of the government agencies are behind,” he added. “Many of them. This [legislative] building based on my understanding is behind on its payments. Most agencies are behind on their payments. I don’t disconnect them and I say this with all due respect to everyone. I don’t disconnect them for the very reason it is the government [and it] needs to operate. I just deal with it that way,” CUC’s Camacho said.
Propst responded, “Thank you and please understand where I am coming from. The government did not build [the governor’s] residence in As Teo, correct?”
“That is correct,” CUC’s Camacho said.
“And he lives there with his family, correct? And it is a residential property, correct?”
“Correct,” Gary Camacho replied.
“Therefore, it is not government property; that is why it hurts me and anyone listening to this. If we are going to compare the governor’s private property, a million-dollar property in As Teo, that somehow it is just like a government entity, it’s not, sir. And I do not feel that it is like you are disconnecting the office of the governor.”
Propst added, “If this building, the legislative building, were late on payment, I hope you would disconnect it because we should not be late on our payments to CUC. That is part of the problem. But for a private residence to be late several months is insulting to all our constituents who have been disconnected in the past from CUC. Please understand that sir. We respond to the constituents and their complaints. And many of them cannot understand why the governor does receive preferential treatment.”
Gary Camacho said, “With all due respect, when I am informed and when CUC is informed that this is for the governor’s official residence, please understand what we are going through when it is coming from a government entity which is going to dictate the account.”
Rep. Celina R. Babauta, the House JGO chair, called for a recess until 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 29 with Department of Public Safety-Boating Safety chief Kevin Aldan as witness.
Commonwealth Utilities Corp. Executive Director Gary Camacho, left, back to the camera, shakes hands with House Committee on Judiciary and Governmental Operations Chair Celina Babauta while Rep. Edwin Propst looks on after a committee hearing on Monday in the House chamber.
