OVER 30 protesters stood outside the legislative building on Capital Hill late Friday morning to express their opposition against a budget bill that increases the Legislature’s funding at the expense of public education.
This is just the beginning, according to the protest action’s organizers, former Rep. Tina Sablan and Leila Staffler.
They said they will be back as soon as the House of Representatives holds its next session which has been scheduled for Tuesday, 10 a.m.
Sablan said she is glad to see a lot of people showing their support for their group.
Motorists passing by honked to express their solidarity.
The protesters carried signs that said “Don’t forget the kids!,” “Lead by example,” “Just the beginning,” “Discretionary Funds = Totalitarianism,” and “I Thought it was Austerity.”
Sablan also thanked the lawmakers who came out to talk to them, including House Floor Leader George N. Camacho, Ind.-Saipan, who voted for the passage of the budget bill.
Staffler, for her part, thanked those who showed up.
She said she hopes they can bring more people together because she knows they are not the only ones who know that something’s wrong with the budget.
“We have to wait for the next session so we can gather again,” she added.
Board of Education member Galvin S. Deleon Guerrero said people understand that these are tough economic times and that cuts must be made.
Members of the community, he said, are generally willing to come together and share the pain.
“But it just seems difficult to do it when there are cuts in a lot of places while there are increases in the lawmakers’ discretionary funds,” he said.
Nine-year-old Jolo Berueco, a fourth grade student of Dandan Elementary School, said he joined the protest so he can help his school get the funding it needs.
He is also concerned about their teachers if funding for the Public School System will be reduced from $34.6 million to $29.9 million as proposed by the budget bill.
He’s afraid that if the PSS budget is cut, schools may not have funds for maintenance and supplies.
The other lawmakers who came out to meet the protesters were Saipan Republican Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, Sen. Ralph DLG. Torres, Reps. Ray N. Yumul and Antonio P. Sablan.
Ed Propst, one of the protesters, said these lawmakers also expressed disappointment with the passage of the fiscal year 2011 budget bill, which is now in the Senate.
“We have those who voted against it with us here today. They said it is not appropriate to have an increase in the Legislature’s allocations. It’s not right for the people,” Propst told this reporter.
“These lawmakers who voted against this outrageous budget bill — their hearts are with the people. And I’m very proud and thankful for them for standing out against this unjust House budget,” he added.
Propst said they will continue to ask the people to come and join future protest actions.
“We need to show our lawmakers that they work for us,” he added.
He is hoping that the Senate will look at the bill carefully and do the right thing.
Cutting government employees’ work hours from 80 to 64 per payroll period, as proposed by the budget bill, is “mind blowing and will kill the economy.”
“It’s a slap in the face,” he added.
Camacho said he appreciates the protest action “because we really need to hear from them.”
He explained, however, that the House leadership did not propose an increase in the lawmakers’ salary.
He also noted that the budget passed by the House came from the administration.
Saipan Republican Rep. Eliceo D. Cabrera, a member of the minority bloc who joined the House leadership in voting for the bill’s passage, said the proposed $130,000 discretionary fund for each lawmaker will go back to the community and will not increase their $39,000 annual salary.
Each of the 20 House members and nine senators also receive $86,000 in annual discretionary funds, which they use for their office personnel, supplies, operations and community services.
Cabrera said lawmakers have responsibilities to their constituents.
He pointed out that the original allocation for each member was $155,000 as allowed by the Constitution.
But because they are mindful of the government’s financial condition, they have reduced this amount to $130,000, he said.
