In an interview, Dela Cruz, Covenant-Saipan, told the Variety that he will prefer the creation of public cooperative if CUC will be allowed to borrow money from the Marianas Public Land Trust.
“Let’s turn CUC as public cooperative — that’s one possible option,” he added. MPLT funds are “money for the CNMI indigenous population.”
CUC is seeking a $4.5 million loan application from MPLT which has to be approved by the Legislature.
Dela Cruz believes that the people, through a public cooperative, should own and run the utilities agency for the benefit of the entire community.
CUC can still have an executive director and a board of directors whose members will come from the public.
He said the people may hire the services of professional managers under performance management contract.
“These professionals will be answerable to the people of the commonwealth,” Dela Cruz said.
Under public ownership, the administration will have limited, or no direct control of CUC, he added.
He noted that he introduced the concept of a public cooperative in 2005, saying “the people were very receptive” to his idea.
Turning CUC into a community cooperative utility will allow the people of the commonwealth “to be the owners and stakeholders of this one last utility firm in our commonwealth,” he said.
