By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
MARIANAS Visitors Authority Acting Managing Director Judy Torres on Monday asked the bicameral conference committee tasked with drafting a unified version of the tobacco settlement fund spending measure to maintain the full appropriation “for thousands of families, workers and small business owners who depend on tourism to survive, and for government services that depend on tourism to function.”
The conference committee met Monday to address two Super Typhoon Sinlaku emergency funding measures, as well as House Bill 24-96, which originally proposed allocating $960,235 in tobacco settlement funds to MVA. The Senate version, however, reducedthe MVA allotment to $370,176 and allocated the remaining funds as follows:
• $240,058 to the Public School System
• $100,000 for activities and programs on Rota
• $100,000 for personnel and operations of the Tinian Mayor’s Office
• $100,000 for personnel and operations of the Saipan Mayor’s Office
• $50,000 for the Legislative Bureau
During its session on May 22, 2026, the House rejected the Senate version of H.B. 24-96. Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez appointed Rep. John Paul Sablan, Rep. Ralph N. Yumul and Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao as House conferees, with House Floor Leader Marissa Flores serving as alternate. Senate President Karl King-Nabors appointed Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider, Senate Floor Leader Donald Manglona and Sen. Frank Q. Cruz as Senate conferees, with Senate Vice President Corina Magofna serving as alternate.
At Monday’s meeting, the conference committee invited MVA Acting Managing Director Judy Torres to provide comments.
Torres told lawmakers that MVA acknowledges the fiscal pressures facing the Commonwealth. However, she said that in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, every agency, family and sector is under strain, and she understands the need to identify resources to meet competing priorities.
She emphasized, however, that reducing the appropriation in H.B. 24-96 “will not save the Commonwealth money; it will cost the Commonwealth money.”
She said tourism is not an expense, but the engine that funds the Commonwealth’s recovery. Tourism dollars, she said, circulate throughout every sector — including hotels, restaurants, retail, transportation and construction — and ultimately flow into government revenue that supports essential services, including typhoon recovery.
“Right now, that engine is stalling,” Torres said. She noted that airline seat capacity is down 66% from 2018, while visitor arrivals are at a historic low. She also cited the recent closure of T’Way Airlines’ Saipan office as a reminder of the fragility of air service. “Once an airline leaves, it is even harder — and more expensive — to win them back,” she said.
Torres stressed that the $960,235 allocation proposed in H.B. 24-96 directly addresses two urgent priorities: airline service stabilization and the expansion of the CNMI’s destination brand, “Far From Ordinary.”
She said that if travelers do not hear about the CNMI, they will not come, and if they do not understand what makes the islands distinct from other destinations, they will choose elsewhere.
Competing destinations, she added, are investing heavily in marketing. “If we go silent, we lose market share that will take years — and far more money — to regain,” she said.
Torres said the measure is not just about marketing, but about protecting jobs, preserving air access, keeping businesses open and restoring the revenue that funds essential services, including typhoon recovery. “Every dollar invested in tourism returns many times more into the Commonwealth,” she said, as she urged lawmakers to maintain the full appropriation—not for MVA, but “for the thousands of families, workers and small businesses who depend on tourism to survive, and for government services that depend on tourism to function.”
The committee, convening as a committee of the whole, later invited Torres to the chamber for further discussion on MVA’s current operations. After addressing questions from lawmakers, committee chair Rep. John Paul Sablan called for a recess and reconvened at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, 2026.
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.
