House Special Committee on Federal Assistance & Disaster-Related Funding Chair Ralph N. Yumul speaks during a meeting in the House chamber on Tuesday.
Ralph DLG Torres
THE House Special Committee on Federal Assistance & Disaster-Related Funding may have to subpoena former Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and some of the recipients of the $17 million federally funded Building Optimism, Opportunities and Stability Together program.
“There is that possibility,” the panel’s chair, Rep. Ralph N. Yumul, told reporters on Wednesday after the committee found former Finance Secretary David DLG Atalig in contempt for refusing to answer BOOST-related questions.
“At the end of the day, the buck stops with him,” Yumul said, referring to Torres.
The members of the special committee, he said, will have to look at what they have gathered so far, and if they see a need for it, “we are calling him in,” referring to the former governor.
Yumul said they may also summon some of the BOOST recipients. He noted, however, that there are BOOST recipients that complied with the conditions and used the funds properly for their legitimate businesses.
He also said there are recipients, including those who received multiple awards, whose use of the funds is questionable.
Yumul said the Department of Finance has a task force going after some of the BOOST recipients, but it does not prevent the special committee from asking them questions that Atalig and former BOOST contractors Shayne Villanueva, Rob Travilla and Salina Sapp refused to answer. Villanueva, Travilla and Sapp were also found in contempt by the special committee.
Yumul said the special committee also discussed issuing a subpoena to former Office of the Governor Chief of Staff Wil Castro, who resides on Guam.
But Yumul said they may have to reach out to the government of Guam, and see if the special committee can subpoena Castro.
In December 2022, Castro appeared before a joint House committee and answered questions about the BOOST program.
Yumul on Wednesday reiterated that what the special committee is doing is “investigating.”
He said he doesn’t think any of its members have asked incriminating questions.
