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Fitial lifts CPA’s state of emergency
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Posted on Sep 03 2008
Gov. Benigno Fitial lifted the state of emergency for the Commonwealth Ports Authority after swearing in two additional board members yesterday.
Fitial said CPA may have its autonomy back now that there are enough board members to meet quorum requirements and run the ports authority.
“This is the time to return control of the CPA over to them and allow them to do their job,” the governor said in an executive order.
The two new board members who took their oath of office yesterday are Manuel Villagomez from Tinian and Barry Toves from Rota. They join previously sworn-in directors Benigno M. Sablan, Fermin Sakisat, Thomas Villagomez, and Joe Lifoifoi. The seventh CPA appointee, Margarita Praeter, is still awaiting Senate confirmation.
Fitial convened the CPA board after the oath-taking ceremony. An election followed, with Lifoifoi being voted chairman, Villagomez vice chairman and Sakisat secretary.
Fitial in an interview expressed satisfaction with the board’s choice of officers. “CPA will be in good hands,” he said.
Earlier this year, Fitial dissolved the CPA board, saying the ports authority was on the verge of a technical default on its multi-million dollar airport revenue bond, and that the board had failed to implement measures to prevent it. The emergency declaration was extended three times, largely because of the lack of members for CPA board. The latest extension was not due to expire until the middle of this month.
“I did not wait until expiration to lift the state of emergency. This will show the world I am not authoritarian,” he said.
