Manglona says staff firing not political

Rota Mayor Benjamin Manglona vehemently denied yesterday that politics was behind his decision to terminate the employment of seven municipal staff.

“It’s not political. It’s based on a good judgment decision. If it’s political I should have fired the Republican Party chairman himself who is still working for me,” said Manglona in an interview on Saipan yesterday, in reference to GOP Rota chairman Ed Maratita.

Manglona said he just arrived from a trip to the Philippines for medical and business reasons.

The mayor said the termination of the seven employees is due to “budgetary constraints and poor performance.”

“We have been running on a deficit. We have no money. As office manager, I need to have a foresight on what awaits us by next year. Doing this would save us a considerable amount of money,” he said.

Further, he indicated that he is not satisfied with the employees’ performance.

“I also do performance review. I can’t tolerate poor work performance, absenteeism, ” he said.

He said he welcomes an investigation by the Civil Service Commission on the matter.

“I am open to investigation. They will see that I did it legally,” he said.

The mayor said he had informed the employees about the personnel action earlier this month.

He said the actual termination takes effect on Sept. 30.

Manglona, a long-time Republican who recently switched political allegiance to the Covenant Party’s standard-bearer Benigno R. Fitial and Tim P. Villagomez, claimed yesterday that while he knows his employees personally, he does not know about their political affiliations.

“I based my decision on competency and not based on political affiliation. I don’t know if they are Republicans,” he said.

The mayor’s nephew, Senate majority leader Paul Manglona, disclosed the employees’ termination earlier this week.

The senator said that the mayor’s decision was dubious and politically motivated.

The mayor sent on Sept. 13, 2005, separate notices of non-renewal to account clerk Merelyn B. Ogo, administrative officer Mary Carleen O. Atalig, community workers Joaquina L. King and Antonia B. Reynolds, project development officers Larry John “Bradlee” T. Atalig and Daniel Rangamar Jr., and school aide Shelby C. Rangamar.

Sen. Manglona cited that Mary Carleen O. Atalig is the wife of the Republican Party’s mayoral candidate Ben Atalig. Reynolds is her mother.

King is the chair of the Rota Republican Women Organization, while Larry John Atalig is the vice chair of the Rota Republican Youth Organization.

The three other employees are believed to be supporters of the Republican Party.

“It is done to intimidate voters. It’s our mayor at his worst. These employees have been working for eight years in ungraded positions. Why would he do this now when we’re under continuing resolution? The budget for all agencies remains the same. Lack of funding is just an excuse,” Sen. Manglona had said.

He also said that most of the seven employees were among the least paid within the Rota government.

Except for Mary Carleen Atalig who earns $25,000 a year, the employees receive annual salaries ranging between $12,000 and $13,000.

The Rota mayor, meantime, said that the municipal government has been “in the red” for lack of funding.

He said the local government is budgeted $15 million but due to mandated deductions, it ends up getting a net of $13 million.

He said the local government should be appropriated a minimum of $20 million a year.

He said that the money saved from the termination of the employees would be used to cover the deficit.

He did not say the deficit figure of the Rota government.