Department of Commerce Secretary Michael Ada disclosed on Tuesday that Tinian and Rota were not likely to meet the deadline on Sept. 30.
The submission of the CPI is the basic requirement for the renewal of federally funded food nutritional services.
Because the prices of commodities on Tinian and Rota are higher, the value of the food stamps there are lower, and this puts low-income residents at a disadvantage.
The legislative delegations of both islands, Ada said, asked Commerce to address the discrepancy.
A month ago, he formed a team that would work with its counterparts on Tinian and Rota to conduct a survey on the commodity prices of local stores.
Led by Central Statistic Division Director Ivan Blanco, the team was tasked to come up with the latest consumer price index on Rota and Tinian so the CNMI could ask for more food stamp assistance for both islands.
The CNMI received $12 million in food stamp assistance last year.
The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, which handles the program in the CNMI, was hoping get an additional $9 million for next year, according to DCCA Secretary Melvin O. Faisao.
But the CNMI must also submit a thrifty food plan based on a new consumer price index.
Justin Andrew, one of the Commerce team members, said they are not getting the data they need from their counterparts on Tinian and Rota.
Blanco said they warned the Commerce Department’s offices on Tinian and Rota that they will be held accountable “for such a loss of a great opportunity.”
The Commerce team, Ada said, has done its best to complete the task, but its counterparts on Tinian and Rota “do not see the importance” of the project.
“If we cannot get the data we need, DCCA will not be able to negotiate for a higher food stamp rate,” Ada said.
Commerce did not have local funding for the task due to the CNMI government’s financial condition.
They applied for a federal grant but it has yet to be approved.
Commerce had to hire a consultant and provide the team transportation money to go to the two islands, Ada said.
They were able to get the project “rolling” by tapping portions of other available grant monies, he added.
Rota Commerce administrative specialist Flora Castro, in a telephone interview, admitted that they were “kind of behind” schedule.
She said aside from some problems with transportation, the stores’ personnel handling the data were “hard to get a hold of.”
Some stores could not provide them the needed data, she added.
There are only seven stores on Rota, she said, but their personnel were giving Commerce a “hard time.”
Castro said they will continue working on it and she is optimistic they can still catch up and meet the deadline.
They are now encoding the data for the second quarter of this year and are ready to work on the third quarter price index, she added.
Tinian Commerce Director Frank Diaz said they will be done with the third quarter survey on Aug. 9, so he is confident they can still meet the deadline.
He said since the CNMI is undertaking this project for the first time, “there are a lot of challenges.”
There are 13 stores on Tinian, he said, but a lot of products are not available on island so they have to adjust their data collecting process.
Diaz said they are working “really hard” to complete the task on time because Tinian Mayor Ramon Dela Cruz told them to focus on it.
