Hocog who chairs the House Committee in Public Utilities, Transportation and Communications, asked CUC Executive Director Antonio Muna to “seriously look” into the “profiles” of personnel receiving high salaries.
The CUC management must determine what positions are essential or not, he said.
“CUC can attain and realize continued cash flow if Muna will seriously look into his personnel’s pay levels,” said Hocog, Ind.-Rota.
Rep. Stanley T. Torres, R-Saipan, is also concerned about CUC’s cash flow in light of the payments it has to make to its contractors and vendors, the latest of which is Aggreko International Project Limited.
“They need $6.1 million for that contract and CUC is short of money,” Torres said. “How can they collect enough when the people are already conserving their power usage due to the high power rates?”
He said his regular power bill is now $440 a month.
“I have to cut it down to $200, and I know that other people can no longer afford to pay their power bills,” he said.
Businessman and former Finance Secretary Antonio R. Cabrera said businesses are shutting down because of the high power rates amid the daily power outages.
Business revenues are down because CUC doubled their power rates, he added.
Hocog has asked CUC’s management to investigate the complaint by some power users regarding the inaccurate billing of their electricity consumption.
One of his relatives, he said, received a CUC billing although there was no physical reading of the house’s power meter.
He said meter readers may be just guessing the amount of power used by household consumers.
Hocog at the same time said they also acknowledge the efforts of Muna to improve CUC’s operations.
“We are giving him our support,” the lawmaker said. “He is using his professional ability in financial expertise and his common sense to make things work.”
