The governor noted that PUA is a federally funded program, and each claim is reviewed and adjudicated to ensure that all information is accurate and valid.
“To those who are protesting or those leading this protest, please make time [to meet with me]. I will [also] call the [CNMI] Department of Labor so [everyone] can communicate more as a group,” he added.
“If you give [DOL] Secretary Vicky Benavente the opportunity to explain the process, I think it would be a fruitful conversation,” Torres said.
Benavente, for her part, said implementing the program is probably the most difficult task of her career so far.
“It’s been tough… but the good news is that USDOL has been tracking our progress since day one,” she said.
USDOL, she added, has been insistent in obtaining accurate data from CNMI DOL.
“These numbers are mind-boggling,” she said, adding that the number of PUA claims has surpassed the number of unemployed individuals in the CNMI.
