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‘Fitial’s citing of increased legislative budget is unfair’
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Posted on May 03 2008
Vice Speaker Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero has expressed disappointment with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial’s citing of the increased budget for the Legislature for 2009, saying the governor’s remarks were “unfair.”
Deleon Guerrero told Saipan Tribune that some of the things that Fitial pointed out during his State of the Commonwealth Address on Friday were true and correct.
However, the vice speaker said, he did not like it when the governor pointed out that the budget for the Executive Branch is going down for 2009, but the Legislatures’ budget is going up.
“He [Fitial] just submitted that [budget] to us. If the Legislature’s budget is high, it is because he submitted that. That’s the budget he submitted. We have not began to clearly define what the Legislature’s budget is. In a way, that’s unfair!” Deleon Guerrero said.
Fitial had said that looking ahead to fiscal year 2009, the Executive Branch’s budget will be reduced further from $83 million to $74 million.
“The Legislative Branch is allocated an increase in funding,” the governor said.
Deleon Guerrero said that Fital fixed the budget and gave it to the Legislature.
“But he [Fitial] put it in his report that ‘you guys are going up.’ That’s so unfair. I don’t like that,” the vice speaker said.
With respect to CNMI Washington Representative Pete A. Tenorio’s State of the Washington Office Report, Deleon Guererro said that Tenorio has received a lot of criticisms for the pro-federalization stance he’s taken.
“The minority in the 15th Legislature, which we are part of, decided to work with him instead of opposing it. So yes, we were part of that process,” he said.
Deleon Guerrero said he is just hoping that, once CNMI obtains a non-voting delegate in Congress, that person “should be our champion to protect our interests.”
He said there was nothing new in Tenorio’s report. “The State of the Commonwealth is really just about the federalization,” he added.
