FLASHBACK November 25,1999-2000

The face of HIV infection [/B]

He thought it was a relationship based on trust. But 39-year old Moses Saburo was wrong. After four years of living with his partner in the U.S. mainland, Mr. Saburo found out in 1996 that he has been infected with HIV, the virus that causes the development of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). “I had a trusting relationship with someone that I thought I knew very well and that she was clean and free from HIV. The only time I found out that she was infected was when she died of AIDS,” he said.

House Speaker Diego T. Benavente yesterday expressed relief that the U.S. Senate has yet to vote on legislation seeking extension of federal immigration laws to the Northern Marianas, which he said has given more time for island leaders to stave off such takeover proposal. Senators in Washington D.C. adjourned its first session last Nov. 24 and went on sine die without deliberating on the proposal contained in Senate Bill 1052. They are scheduled to convene their second session in the 106th Congress on January 24, 2000. On Nov. 1, the measure was reported out to the floor by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which recommended favorably on the bill, and was placed immediately on the legislative calendar for voting.

Govt owes NMIRF $92M[/B]

The CNMI government’s debt to the Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund has now ballooned to a staggering $92.043 million in all, representing unpaid contributions and the Fund’s supposed share in several taxes. These unsettled obligations have resulted in the Fund incurring a shortfall of $720,051 every month, since its monthly revenue is not enough to cover for all its monthly obligations, such as pensions. These came to light during Friday’s Board of trustees meeting, with Fund comptroller Noel Soria stressing that these outstanding obligations by the CNMI government is just with the Retirement Fund, and does not include its other obligations under the Group Health and Life Insurance Program and the Workers Compensation Commission.

Former Coastal Resources Management Office director Felipe Q. Atalig-a prisoner until he completes his jail term tomorrow-has taken the cudgels for his fellow inmates in complaining against the alleged mismanagement happening inside the corrections facility. Department of Public Safety commissioner Edward Camacho quickly responded to Atalig’s allegations, saying yesterday that he would task the Director of Corrections to look into the ex-CRM director’s complaint. Atalig, convicted of sexually harassing a female employee during his tenure as CRMO’s chief, complained of the situation inside the jail in a letter to Camacho. Besides furnishing certain lawmakers and Personnel Management Director Juan I. Tenorio copies of his letter,Atalig also provided copies of this to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Members of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation get ready to convene the session late yesterday afternoon at the House Chamber. Lawmakers of the Third Senatorial District stayed in session for a couple of hours mostly airing their frustrations and anger over the decision by the Senate majority to suspend all three Saipan senators. (Marian A. Maraya) The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation voted 14-0 last night to “condemn” the Senate majority’s action suspending Saipan senators Pete P. Reyes, Ramon S. Guerrero and Thomas P. Villagomez, and Tinian senator David M. Cing for 30 days. In a session that started nearly 5pm at the House chamber, Third Senatorial District lawmakers united to protest the suspension that has left Saipan and the Northern Islands without representation in the upper house. A number of Saipan community members were at the chamber gallery to offer their support to the delegation. Some came with placards that read: “Rota-Tinian: What you make you take. No make no take.”