Micronesia's Leading Newspaper Since 1972 vol. 22 Nip. 67 · Saipan, MP 96950 ©1993 Marianas Variety Wednesday ■ June 16, 1993 .Serving CNMI for 20 Years New rules ensure lawyers for poor THE SUPERIOR Court is adopt­ nal appointments are the follow­ client, he or she must find or hire a ing a set of procedures to ensure ing: substitute counsel who is compe­ that indigent persons facing crimi­ • Government lawyers; tent and willing to represent the nal charges are represented by • Lawyers who are also special client. Thepresidingjudgereserves court-appointed lawyers. judges; the right to reject any substitution Theproposedprocedures, which • Lawyers of the Micronesian which would be contrary to the are scheduled to take effect on Aug. Legal Services Corp. and best interests of the defendant. 1, w ill also ensure equal distribu­ • Lawyers who do not reside in The proposal also includes the tion of indigent clients among law­ the CNM I or Guam. amount of hourly compensation yers in the Commonwealth, ac­ Where a lawyer believes he or for the court-appointed lawyers, as cording to Presiding Judge Alex C. she cannot accept the criminal ap­ follows: $55 formisdemeanor, $65 Castro. pointment, an affidavit must be for felony (non-jury) and $75 for Under the new procedures, the submitted to justify, to the court’s felony (jury trial). court would appoint lawyers in al­ satisfaction, his or her position. In addition to the hourly rate, all phabetical order. The clerk of court Grounds for exceptions under attorneys who receive appoint­ REPRESENTATIVE Stanley T. Torres examines water from sus­ will maintain a list of lawyers and the Commonwealth Rules of Pro­ ments in Rota and Tinian will .be pected leak. Story on page 2 .___ __________________ the cases to which they are ap­ fessional Conduct are the follow­ reimbursed for their air fare and pointed. ing: will receive $25 stipend per day. Once the court issues the order, it • Representing the client is likely Guam attorneys who receive ap­ is incumbent upon the lawyer to to result in violation of the Rules of pointments in Saipan will also be Reyes sets new provide effective assistance to the Professional Conduct or other laws; reimbursed for their air fare and will client. Failure to accept a criminal • Representing the client is likely receive $25 stipend per day. appointment will result incontempt to result in an unreasonable finan­ In an effort to lessen the burden on of court where the exceptions do cial burden on the lawyer; or counsel, the Superior Court will give hearing on tax not apply orthe originally appointed > • Client or the cause is so repug­ calendar preference to criminal ap­ THE HOUSE special committee sentative Pete P. Reyes, acting attorney has failed to transfer the nant to the lawyer as to be likely to pointments. For instance, on motion on tax reform has scheduled an­ chairman, as he invited all inter­ case. impair the client-lawyer relation­ day the court will handle all criminal other public hearing on the pro­ ested parties to participate in dis­ In addition, the presiding judge ship or the lawyer’s ability to rep­ appointments before other motions. posed tax reform legislation on cussions on an amended version may file a complaint with the disci­ resent the client. Copiesoftheproposedprocedures June 23, starting at 7 p.m. at the of House Bill 8-248. plinary committee of the bar asso­ I f none of the exceptions are are beingcirculated amongmembers Convention Center. “The reason for the night hear- ciation. applicable and the appointed law­ of the C N M I Bar Association for This was learned from Repre­ continued on page 2 Excluded from the list of crimi­ yer chooses not to represent the comment. (NL) WASHINGTON - The Ameri­ the future, we w ill have most of tions Center w ill then be able to nications equipment, generators, The program is oeing funaea can Red Cross has launched a our supplies and equipment al­ direct immediate distribution and three new vehicles. A full through a grant from the federal two-year program to significantly ready there. We w ill also have a throughout the Pacific region on time disaster preparedness coor­ government, to partially reimburse augment disaster relief prepared­ corps of Pained Red Cross disas­ short notice. dinator is being hired to provide the American Red Cross for the ness in US trust territories. ter workers on the islands, so we Red Cross disaster prepared­ paining and disaster planning for cost of past major offshore relief Investing in additional vehicles, can focus our attention on the ness in Puerto Rico will be en­ Red Cross paid and volunteers operations, and to prepare for fu­ communication equipment, relief people affected and their specific hanced with additional commu­ staff on the island. ture disasters in these territories. supplies, and better paining for needs,” Jones said. disaster relief personnel, the $3.8 In Guam and the Northern million program w ill help the Mariana Islands, four Red Cross American Red Cross assist vic­ vehicles will be purchased and tims of disasters in Guam, Ameri­ prepositioned along with blankets, can Samoa, Northern Mariana Is­ cots and other emergency relief lands, Puerto Rico and the US supplies. A full-time Red Cross Virgin Islands. disaster preparedness coordina­ “Offshore disasters present us tor is being hired to recruit and with serious logistical challenges. Pain local volunteers to enhance This investment in additional disaster preparedness and re­ equipment and Paining will go a sponse capabilities. Red Cross 7 » //J'] V . / / . t ' t f long way toward addressing many disaster communications in Guam of these challenges now,” said and Saipan will also be enhanced É¡&\ ^MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-WEDNESDAY-JUNE 16,1993 Torres presses probe of leaking w ater pipe REPRESENTATIVE Stanley T. digging upof the area and the patch­ the dry spell we here on the is­ Torres has urged Commonwealth ing up of an exposed four-inch lands have been experiencing,” Utilities Corp. (CUC) to investi- pipe. Torres said. “I am sure everyone gate'a leaking water pipe some­ The leak, according to CUC, at CUC w ill agree that we need to where along Beach Road near came from an abandoned pipe and save all the water we can. I am Triple J Motors in Chalan Laulau. would not cause significant waste airing my concern about this prob­ “I am sure everybody is trying of water. able water spill as a concefhed his best to conserve water. I have After the pipe was buried last citizen.” called the attention of CUC ’s water week, Torres noted there still were Rainfall in Saipan.has declined division and I am doing it again. puddles of water in the areain front 50 percent from last year’s level.' There still is water spilling in the of the Culligans water company “It is puzzling that the island area,” Torres said in an interview justnorth ofTriple J. An inspection lias been suffering from intense Monday. of the site Monday confirmed that heat and a dry spell yet the area I Torres first called CUC’s atten­ water was leaking. am referring to is always wet. I ’d - tion in March. A subsequent letter “CUC has been talking about rather that CUC do something on was sent June 1 which led to the conservation of water owing to this,” Torres said. (RHA) CUC digs up pipe: no leaks COMMONWEALTH Utilities “We immediately did an inspec­ meeting o f the Rotary Club. Corp. has found no leak in the tion of the site, dug up the four-inch “CUC assured there was no. waterpipe reported by Representa­ pipe he was referring to and found CUC pipeline leaking in the area tive Stanley T. Torres. outthat there were no leaks,” Sattler but still judging from .the puddles Responding to concerns aired by quoted water division manager that are still there it’s possible that Torres about water wastage in the Rudy Sablan as saying. the water is coining from-resi- area if the reported leaking is not According to Sattler, aftermak­ dences in the area whose pipes investigated, CUC spokesperson ing sure there was no waterline may be leaking without fijeir Pamela Mathis-Sattler said CUC’s leak in the area, Sablan even is­ knowledge. So we are calling on water division continuously moni­ sued a report to Torres, indicating the residents in their areas to call tored the area since the receipt of the same when he chanced upon us and have their lines checked,” Torres’ letter on June 4. the lawmaker during a recent Sattler said. (RHA) NAYONG Loretta Lee (right), with friend, received the highest awards in English, mathematics, Mananas history, Japanese language and others and was chosen top student of Marianas High School during recent graduation ceremonies. L ocal R ed C ross hopes to generate $175,000 B abauta thanks A kaka THE CN M I chapter of the Ameri­ in time of need like emergency for supporting accord can Red Cross expects to gener­ disaster, and I ’ll stress that again ate $175,000 during its 6th An­ - emergency,” said Jean Sablan, RESIDENT Representative Juan dent will be used for much needed nual Club 200 on July 3, up 16.7 vice chairperson and co-chairman N. Babauta issued the following projects important to the well­ percent from the $150,000 raised of Club 200. statement following the move by being of the people of the North­ last year, Red Cross officials said Copies of a brief report distrib­ the Senate Energy and Natural ern Marianas. yesterday. uted during yesterday’s press con­ Resources Committee to incor­ We must not forget, however, Proceeds of the annual dinner ference at the HyattRegency Hotel porate the multi-year financial that the House and the Senate will go towards the local Red showed that since July 1992 the assistance package negotiated by have widely divergent view on Cross operating budget, which local Red Cross has provided over Lt.