MPLA employees allege coercion

The Marianas Public Lands Authority has reportedly been circulating a petition expressing opposition to the bill that seeks to reorganize the agency, but some employees accused the MPLA management of forcing them to sign the document.

This developed a day before the scheduled public hearings on House Bill 15-57, which proposes to abolish the MPLA’s autonomy and transform the agency into a department under the Executive Branch. The Legislature has set public hearings at the Multi-purpose Center in Susupe, with the first one slated at 9am today and the other one tonight beginning 6pm.

MPLA insiders said Homestead Division chief Connie Togawa was circulating the purported petition. Other employees who requested anonymity confirmed this, accusing the MPLA management of “harassing” them to sign the document.

According to these employees, the MPLA management pressured those who refused to sign the petition with statements such as “Where’s your loyalty?”

When the Saipan Tribune asked the MPLA for a copy of the petition, MPLA spokesman Ed Arriola Jr. attempted to obtain one, contacting Homestead’s Togawa. Arriola then refused to comment about any petition, saying that he had not seen any yesterday afternoon.

Togawa denied spearheading the circulation of any petition on behalf of the MPLA management. “I don’t do any petition,” she said. “I’m very busy.”

HB 15-57 has cited alleged grave cases of mismanagement and abuse of power by the MPLA’s top officials.

The bill proposes the abolition of the existing setup of the MPLA and the creation of a new department that will be headed by a secretary who will be subjected to the confirmation process for Cabinet members. Under the bill, the secretary will have a five-member advisory board, four of whom will be appointed by the four CNMI mayors and the governor will appoint another one.

Following Gov. Benigno Fitial’s declaration that he would push for the legislation “to stop the MPLA from abusing public funds,” the MPLA board lashed back at the governor, accusing him of fraud in his dealing with the MPLA when he was still president of the Bank of Saipan.

The MPLA has requested local and federal investigating bodies, including the Office of Public Auditor and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to probe Fitial’s dealing with the MPLA, particularly when the then BoS president pledged the same collateral for deposits of the MPLA and the Retirement Fund.

Fitial welcomed any investigation, with press secretary Charles Reyes Jr. saying that the administration looks forward to “an open and transparent process that allows for vigorous public debate on the issues surrounding MPLA.”