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Computer crash blamed on mess
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Posted on Jan 29 1999
Attracting a crowd of students, college officials, government leaders and a host of other spectators, the much-awaited oversight hearing on the Northern Marianas College yesterday rolled out in a tense atmosphere.
Rep. Heinz Hofschneider, chair of House committee on Health, Education and Welfare, denied a request from the NMC legal counsel, former Lt. Gov. Jessie Borja, to sit with President Agnes M. McPhetres during the hearing, provoking a little argument that delayed the start for a few minutes.
The hearing, the first in a series of investigation into the state college and the CNMI scholarships office, was attended by Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio in what maybe a clear sign of his support to the oversight which was largely prompted by last week’s protest of NMC students against failure by the government to allocate $575,000 for the college scholarships.
Speakers at the hearing, including Tenorio’s key financial adviser Mike Sablan, took up about three hours of the five-hour long oversight. It broke up for lunch and reconvened at 1:30 P.M.
Former justice Ramon Villagomez, who sits at the NMC board of regents, questioned during the afternoon session the need to revive past financial problems of the college, noting that the public auditor’s report “is interesting but not helpful.”
Public Auditor Leo L. LaMotte, one of several officials summoned to the hearing, expressed dismay that their ongoing audit of NMC, which was requested by HEW last May, has been slow due to trickling in of documents from the college.
Their findings, although preliminary, showed discrepancies in college expenditures that date back as early as 1992.
NMC officials said they are having a “tough time” reconstructing their financial records after their computer system “crashed” when former comptrollers resigned over the past few years.
Hofscheiner prodded them to assist in proving information to help clarify questionable records. A member of the committee, when asked about the NMC reason after the hearing, said it is “suspicious.” He refused to elaborate. (Benhur C. Saladores)
