By Emmanuel T. Erediano
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Variety News Staff
THE bicameral conference committee tasked with drafting a compromise version of the Super Typhoon Sinlaku emergency funding bills agreed Monday to retain the Senate version that the House rejected last month.
Conferees from both the House and Senate voted unanimously to approve a motion by committee co-chair, Tinian Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider, and conference committee member, Senate Floor Leader Donald Manglona of Rota, to adopt House Bill 24-89 and House Bill 24-91 as amended by the Senate.
Passed by the House on March 18, 2026, H.B. 24-89 and H.B. 24-91 originally proposed appropriating $300,000 in dividends collected by the Commonwealth Economic Development Authority from the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. to fund projects on Tinian and Rota.
H.B. 24-89 was authored by Rep. Patrick San Nicolas, while H.B. 24-91 was authored by Rep. Julie Marie Ogo.
The Senate amended both bills on May 1, 2026, directing the funds toward Super Typhoon Sinlaku relief operations and personnel costs for Tinian and Rota.
On May 22, 2026, the House voted to reject the Senate amendments.
Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao said the rejection did not mean members opposed the Senate changes, but that they wanted to include additional language to strengthen the bills and potentially allow for reimbursement of funds.
Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez named Reps. John Paul Sablan, Ralph N. Yumul and Blas Jonathan Attao as House conferees, with House Floor Leader Marissa Flores serving as alternate member.
Senate President Karl King-Nabors, for his part, appointed Hofschneider, Manglona and Sen. Frank Q. Cruz as Senate conferees, with Senate Vice President Corina Magofna as alternate.
At Monday’s meeting, Hofschneider said he respectfully requested “that we revert back” to the Senate version of the bill, citing the municipality’s need for liquidity in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
He said the Senate had done its “due diligence” in consulting with the agency providing the funding. He added that the Tinian and Aguiguan Legislative Delegation, which he chairs, supports advancing the Senate version of H.B. 24-89.
Manglona said the House-proposed language on expenditure authority “may be problematic,” noting that some recovery-related activities could become non-reimbursable under the revised wording.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
