The retirement of Cabrera, who is also the former Saipan seaport manager, took effect on July 31.
But Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said that due to lack of an official who can directly manage the agency’s operation, the governor has asked Cabrera to defer his retirement.
On Friday, the governor signed a memorandum extending Cabrera’s term until the end of this month.
“Mr. Cabrera has agreed to the extension until Aug. 30,” Reyes said.
He added that it is not the governor’s intention to permanently take over CPA. Once a new board convenes, a new CPA executive director will be named, Reyes said.
“Once they have the quorum of at least five members, a permanent appointment for the executive director’s position will be decided by the board,” he said.
According to Reyes, the governor will lift the emergency declaration for CPA as soon as possible or at least before end of the month.
“The intention is to have a full board and once it is established, the emergency declaration will be lifted by the governor,” he said, adding that the temporary takeover was “a matter of necessity” due to the “crisis” at the agency.
The governor suspended the CPA board of directors and took over the ports authority on May 13 “to stave off a technical default in its airport revenue bond.”
Reyes said this will be the last extension of emergency declaration for CPA.
One of the governor’s nominees to the CPA board, former Rep. Absalon Waki, has turned down the appointment.
Reyes said a new nominee will be named by the governor soon.
Rep. Stanley T. Torres, R-Saipan, earlier noted that Waki now works as advertising manager of the Saipan Tribune, a subsidiary of the Tan Holdings Corp., which also owns Pacific Orient Inc., a company that has service contracts at the local airport.
Another CPA nominee, Frank B. Camacho, is manager of Pacific Orient.
Fitial himself is a former Tan Holdings executive.
