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Torres bats for women’s center
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Posted on Oct 05 2000
The Women’s Affairs Office has been waiting for the past few years for the completion of architectural and engineering design of a proposed center for women, according to a lawmaker.
Rep. William S. Torres has appealed to the Tenorio administration to forge ahead with the much-delayed project to show CNMI’s commitment to upholding rights of women on the islands.
In a letter to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio and Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan, the Saipan lawmaker disclosed phase two of the project has yet been bid out for its “a-&-e” design.
The plan was launched in 1995 when WAO sought intervention of the former governor in dedicating a center for women. It would include resource facility, a cafeteria, a day-care center and permanent office for the agency.
In 1997, the Department of Public Works issued a competitive sealed proposal, after which a contract for the “a-&-e” design was forged in May of that year, according to Mr. Torres.
The deal covered phase one of the project, which included the day-care center and the WAO’s office, while the phase two — resource center and cafeteria — being referenced in a single contract, he said.
“However, phase two… was premised on funds availability and DPW’s acceptance to a change order. To date, phase two of the contract has not been activated due to an inability to locate the funding requirement that should have been there in the first place,” added Mr. Torres.
The lawmaker did not say how much money is needed to complete phase two, saying only that the administration must seek funding for the project.
“The bottom-line solution is clearly to take the initiative and fund the second phase,” he explained. “[This is] an appeal to your concerted leadership in partnership with the First Lady Sophie and Second Lady Annie for a timely resolution to this unnecessary impasse.”
While women across the nation have made strides in recent year to become influential sector, Mr. Torres said there is a lot more things needed to be done to achieve equality.
“We definitely need to support the empowerment of women in order to facilitate the balancing of personal and career lives,” he wrote to Mr. Tenorio and Mr. Sablan. (BS)
