Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School students visited Capitol Hill yesterday to ask Gov. Juan N. Babauta and Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente questions about politics, the economy and education.
“Honestly, your questions are harder than expected,” Babauta told the 3rd and 4th grade students.
Nine-year old Rovana Decena asked Babauta: Is it hard being governor?
“Sometimes it is hard, sometimes it’s not. But mostly it’s not,” the governor replied.
Babauta said he and Benavente have to make “difficult but right choices” for the good of all, and not “for the few.”
Andrea Tenorio asked Babauta and Benavente whether they “enjoy” their jobs.
Babauta and Benavente said they do, but admitted that it was not easy for the two of them to run for office, citing the many obstacles they had to hurdle.
Asked if he gets along with Benavente, Babauta said they recognize the need to “work together,” adding that he and the lt. governor have been a team and close friends for a long time.
“Our goal is to serve the community, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Benavente said.
The governor told the students that the CNMI government is faced with major economic problems and lacks the money to finance the various projects and programs of the administration.
“Yes, we have a lot of problems, but we are trying to fix them,” Babauta said.
Babauta and Benavente later guided the students to the different offices of the administration building.
The students were accompanied by their teachers, Jenny Villagomez and Deborah Moore.
