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DPL terminates Togawa
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Posted on Mar 29 2006
Reassigned homestead division chief Connie Togawa was terminated altogether last week from the newly created Department of Public Lands.
This was confirmed yesterday by Togawa’s daughter, Josephine T. Plinske, who also disclosed that her mother is filing a lawsuit against the agency.
“Yes, she was [terminated]. She’s in the process now of filing a lawsuit,” said Togawa-Plinske in an interview late afternoon yesterday.
Officials of the Department of Public Lands could not be reached for comments.
DPL spokesman Ed Arriola Jr. was reportedly not at the office yesterday while DPL acting Secretary John Del Rosario was in a meeting.
When reached, press secretary Charles Reyes Jr. said he has yet to get a response from the department on the matter.
Reyes said the agency could not easily give out information since it is in transition and under intense scrutiny by the Office of the Public Auditor, stemming from alleged improprieties leveled against its former officials when it was still the Marianas Public Lands Authority.
The Fitial administration took over the MPLA last month through legislation. The law dissolved the MPLA and replaced it with DPL.
Meantime, Togawa who had headed the MPLA homestead division, was recently relieved from her post and transferred to the planning division.
A government source said that Togawa was terminated from work last Thursday.
Arriola earlier said that Togawa’s transfer was made amid an investigation.
When it was still the MPLA, Togawa was accused of circulating a petition against the move to abolish the MPLA. Togawa had denied this.
Immediately following the abolition of the agency, Del Rosario had warned that more heads would roll at the department, noting that the office has more personnel than it actually needs.
Lately, though, the department head has declined giving out information to the media, citing that it might jeopardize the ongoing OPA investigation.
