Marianas Variety Vol. 22, No. 143, 1993-09-30.Pdf
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a n a n a s c V a r ie t y ,« Micronesia’s Leading Newspaper Since 1972 Vol. 22 No. 143 tan. MP 96950 ; €>1993 Marianas Variety Thursday ■ Septem ber 30,1993 CNMI for 20 Years T orres urges veto of early retiree bill By Rafael H. Arroyo felt the bill will bankrupt the NMI He said he is challenging the said the proposed law would mean “If a member retires at a salary Retirement Fund. The measure is governor to veto the measure in government would have to cough of $50,000, he. will get a 30% SENATOR Juan S. Torres yes currently on the desk of the gov that it is “outrageous, inequitable, up an addition of $1.3 million in bonus of $15,000. Compare that terday expressed strong opposi ernor, awaiting his signature. self-serving andlargely political,” annual employer contributions. situation to one earning only tion to a bill that aims to induce “If this bill is signed at this time reasons why he tried to block the This means that the employer con $10,000 a year. His $3,000 would early retirement among govern when our government is suffer measure when it came to the Sen tribution will increase from 16% not mean anything,” said Torres ment employees by providing for ing from reduced resources, I ate for action, in vain. to 17.2% of total payroll. so where is the fairness here?” a 30% bonus to those reaching 20 would refer to this as the most “I find it pathetic that some of As a result, he said the continued on page 16 years of service. fiscally irresponsible action by us legislators would go as far as government’s unfunded liability House Bill 8-300, co-authored our government, both the Legis Jeopardizing the financial integ will increase by more than $18 by Rep. Jesus P. Mafnas and seven lature and the administration,” rity and soundness of the Retire million. He added that the initial other House members, elicited a said Torres in an interview last ment Fund Just to get a few votes outlay to pay the bonus if every howl of proteslt from Tones who night. for reelection this November. This one who is eligibieTor retirement is really overburdening the Fund retires is over $3 million. to the point wherein its continued “I would not have minded if existence might be imperilled,” this bill was to be enacted at a B ill to block IG audit said Torres. time when money is in abundance. Part of Torres’ opposition to Right now, having such a law the bill is the cost of enacting the would be ridiculous for our sag of local m onies bill, which he said is ill-advised at ging economy,” Tones added. this point when the government Js According to the senator, the in a deficit and its unfunded li bill is also a disservice to the the general fund, all subject to By Rafael H. Arroyo ability to the Fund is still high. common working man because it appropriation by the Legislature. He cited a recent statement favors those in the higher ech A BILL to require government to According to Mafnas, there was made by Retirement Fund Ad elons of government who are re segregate federal money from lo an apparent feeling back then that ministrator Tomas B. Aldan, who ceiving higher salaries. Juan S. Torras cally generated funds and then to the money coming from the US prohibit US Interior Department’s all becomes Commonwealth Inspector General from auditing money, that is why there was no local revenues is on the way to the distinction made. House of Representatives. Since until now, federal money Tokyo couple is NMTs Representative Jesus P. Mafnas could not be distinguished from has prefiled House Bill 8-335 local revenues, the CNMI September 28, in an apparent bid government’s argument that the 500,000th tourist in FY 93 to preempt an upcoming audit on IG audit should be limited to fed local funds to be conducted by the eral funds did not hold ground in By Rafael H. Arroyo lionth visitor who came in aboard Tomoo, 26, emerged from the federal agency. court. Continental Airlines’ flight 962 Saipan International Airport’s ar THE CNMI rolled down its red at around 2:45 p.m. yesterday. rival terminal surprised to see Such an audit was made pos continued on page 16 sible by a recent ruling by the US carpet for the islands’ half a mil Japanese businessman FuJita throngs of people mostly from the Ninth Circuit Court, empowering tourism industry waiting for his the IG to go on with the audit but arrival. keep all tax records confidential. He came in with fiancee Ueno “I always maintained that as Keiko for a four day stay on long as US taxpayers are contrib Saipan. uting funds to the CNMI through “This is totally unexpected,” federal grants, the IG audit may Tomoo said through an interpreter be Justified. But in the event fed minutes after he was greeted by a eral grants that audit must also cheering welcome entourage of cease,” said Mafnas in an inter Marianas Visitors Bureau offi view yesterday. cials at the Immigration counters. “In other words, if ever the au He saidhe was totally surprised thority of the IG should be en to know that his arrival was being forced, it should be limited to awaited for. It was only then that what the CNMI receives from the he learned there was something federal government,” he added. special prepared for him as the But such a sentiment was not 500,000th visitor to the NMI for shared by the US appellate court fiscal year 1993. in that it ruled in favor of the “The weather is very nice,” audit, regardless .of whether local Tomoo was also heard as having or federal revenues would be said. “This is the first time I’ve Members of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee applaud as Saipan Mayor Jesus visited Saipan.” touched on. S. DL. Guerrero signs documents proclaiming October 10-16 Saipan Beautification Week. The CNMI government had The welcome accorded the busi long argued in the IG case that it nessman from Tokyo was similar will approve of the IG audit as to that being given to visiting dig long as locally-generated funds nitaries from other nations, com were left untouched. plete with wide media coverage. Although federal litigators ac Going through customs he was knowledged such an argument, a .THE OLD than who died last Center, DPS public informa his farm along Beach Road. met by a local band who ser selective audit was deemed al Saturday after he was attacked tion officer Cathy Sheu said The latter Just suddenly enaded the visitors with native most impossible due to the by a wild cow died of heart Pedro P. Dueflas,68, a resi went berserk and gored the songs underneath a large welcome streamer. comingling of both federal and failure, a spokesperson from dent of San Antonio died of old man. local funds in the CNMI’s cof theDepaitmentofPublicSafety “cardio-megaly” and conges The victim was hit in head THE MARIANAS Visitor Bu fers. yesterday said. tive heart failure. and was pronounced dead reau is celebrating the arrival of Since the inception of the Com Citing the results of an au Duefias was earlier reported on arrival at CHC the same CNMI’s half a millionth visitor monwealth it has been a practice topsy conducted by the to have been attacked by the day the incident happened, cognizant of the fact that this will mark the first time ever that visi- to comingle federal grant monies Commonwealth Health animal as he was tying it in at 8;33 a.nu (RHA) with locally-raised revenues in continued on page 16 HetPSpAj2€rj(! S sh ic k 2-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY-SEPTEMBER 30,1993 Kentucky corruption: Selling out cheap By MARK R. CHELLGREN dam cheap.” seph Whittle said the investigation legislation would be introduced to legislation that would have lifted A series of investigations has - code-named Operation Boptrot - regulate intertrack wagering. state regulation of many medical FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - unearthed corruption from the has only “scratched the surface” of And they offered legislators a offices in Louisville. The measure Months of revelations about bribes, courthouse to the statehouse. corruption in the stale. chance to help kill it in exchange went into effect but was overturned kickbacks and extortion in state Six county sheriffs are in federal It began when the FBI was con for cash. One videotape showed in court on grounds it was uncon government have embarrassed or state prisons. The entire govern tacted by the owner of a harness former Speaker Don Blandford stitutional. Kentuckians - not so much about ment of one eastern Kentucky racing track who had sought per accepting one of three $500 pay It became one of the most heavily the charges themselves as about county is under investigation. There mission to conduct more betting at ments to help kill the phony legis lobbied pieces of legislation in the small amounts of money in has been a steady stream of people his track on races televised from lation. “Well, bless your heart,” General Assembly history, espe volved. pleading guilty to making fraudu- other tracks, a lucrative practice Blandford said as he took the cially by Humana Inc., the giant A former House speaker took lentcampaign contributions during called intertrack wagering. He said money. health care company that did pio Just Si,500 to kill a bill.