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Audit should be on Babauta’s travels
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Posted on Apr 13 2005
It was announced recently by the media that the OPA would be conducting an audit of the Marianas Public Lands Authority, examining records of all travels done by MPLA officials from October 2004 to the present. On the issue of the audit of MPLA, Senate President Joaquin Adriano told the media, “At a time when the board should have been acting on revenue generating proposals for the government, it appears that the MPLA officials have been off squandering public funds for their pleasure; it has been estimated that the trips to the United States have cost over $50,000 in taxpayer money. These allegations are extremely serious and OPA must ensure that there has been no improper use of public funds”.
An audit on the travels of Gov. Juan N. Babauta since he was inaugurated in January 2002 should instead be conducted by the OPA. It has been estimated that the travel expense of the governor has been in the vicinity of three to five million dollars. The only way to verify the truth of just how much of the taxpayer dollars Babauta has expended for travel is for the OPA to conduct an audit. And if an audit is conducted, it would be nice if Finance Secretary Fermin Atalig would give up “all” of the documentation regarding the true picture in terms of just how much of public funds were expended for Babauta and his entourage to the United States, Japan, China, and Korea.
In lieu of the Senate president focusing on MPLA which is essentially “small potatoes” compared to what the Babauta administration has expended over the past three years, he should be advocating an immediate audit on the governor and reveal the results to the island community prior to the next election in November 2005.
Dr. Jesus D. Camacho
Delano, California
