By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
THREE House members are calling on the administration to appoint a public information officer who will regularly update the community on Gov. David M. Apatang’s ongoing declaration of a state of significant emergency.
During last week’s House session, Rep. Ralph N. Yumul raised the matter in relation to Executive Order No. 2026-9, through which the governor renewed the Declaration of a State of Significant Emergency for another 30 days to sustain emergency response and restoration efforts following Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
In his remarks, Yumul urged fellow House members to join him in requesting that the administration “have a constant PIO” to provide updates on the ongoing declaration and to inform the public on the status of recovery efforts, including power restoration, debris removal and trash collection, “so the public is well-informed.”
The CNMI Joint Information Center, established at the onset of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, regularly issues updates and advisories, sending announcements daily to online news outlets and Marianas Variety.
However, Yumul said, “right now, we’re getting calls and sometimes we can’t even answer.”
He said that rather than issuing advisories in written form that require people to read them, “it would be nice if someone comes to speak for the administration.”
Rep. Joel Camacho echoed Yumul’s concern, saying that in Precinct 4, many constituents have been calling him to inquire when debris collection would take place. He noted that the last advisory on debris collection indicated work on the northern side of Saipan was scheduled for June 10, 2026.
“We are currently on June 18, so there’s a lot of information that we are not privy to for some reason. I recognize what Rep. Yumul has mentioned, and maybe we can urge the administration to pass down the information to us and the reasons for delays so we can go back to our constituents and provide them with necessary information,” he said.
For her part, House Floor Leader Marissa Flores expressed concern about the procurement process, saying the CNMI is still in a recovery stage and “it seems like the procurement process is taking a long, long time.”
Having no equipment is one issue, she said, but going through a lengthy procurement process is another. She said she does not want to see multiple change orders occurring during a period when the recovery plan should already be established.
She said she would like to request that whatever procurement the administration is undertaking, including any changes, be made known to the public so small businesses can have the opportunity to offer assistance.
Regarding debris removal, Rep. Danny Aquino told colleagues that much of the delay is due to contractors.
“A lot of it is taking time because the contractors are actually slow,” he said, adding that contractors do not have enough heavy equipment to complete the work efficiently.
“It’s a slow process, but eventually, we’ll get there,” he said.
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.
