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Tenorio to follow up on reservists’ benefits
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Posted on Nov 11 2004
Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio said he intends to look at the issue of alleged benefits that were denied some CNMI reservists in active duty.
“I’m not familiar with it but I told them to forward information to me. I will review and follow it up in D.C. I am willing to help them,” said Tenorio yesterday.
Members of the CNMI House of Representatives earlier revealed that the Department of Defense has denied overseas cost of living allowance benefits for Rota and Tinian reservists. The department said it only applied to Saipan reservists.
The House has unanimously adopted a joint resolution requesting the department to extend overseas COLA benefits to Tinian and Rota reservists.
They said that Tinian and Rota reservists on active duty “are treated differently and denied COLA benefits based on residence, notwithstanding the fact that they are also residents from NMI serving their country in this time of war.”
The lawmakers noted that there is no real distinction between the residents of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota “except they reside on different islands.”
“However, for political and social purposes, the people on all three islands are called NMI residents,” the resolution, authored by Rep. Claudio Norita, said.
CNMI reservists are part of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry. They left the Commonwealth for training last August in preparation for deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan by February next year.
The Pentagon issued the call-up for reservists nationwide to reinforce depleted U.S. military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
