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Camacho takes helm at CPA
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Posted on Nov 12 2008
Engineer Efrain F. Camacho has assumed office as executive director of the Commonwealth Ports Authority.
Camacho in a phone interview yesterday said his appointment became effective on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. He will serve a term of one year.
Camacho said he has put his company, EFC Engineers and Architects, on hold to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest. “It’s inactive,” Camacho said of his company, which had done several projects for CPA in the past.
In August, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial appointed Camacho to take over CPA, following the retirement of then acting executive director Lee Cabrera. At the time, CPA was under a state of emergency because it was on the verge of a technical default on its $20-million airport bond indenture.
But the appointment became the topic of controversy after reports (not in this newspaper) surfaced that Camacho was to be paid $170,000. Concerns were also raised about EFC Engineers’ work for CPA. Camacho resigned after less than three weeks on the job.
In an open letter, Camacho denied the report about his compensation, saying his meetings with Fitial and the CPA board did not include talks of him potentially receiving anything more than the salary cap established by law for a licensed professional engineer such as himself.
“My interest in the position of executive director for CPA was based on my sincere desire to help CPA and the community. It was never my intention to seek any personal advantages from the public office to which I had been appointed,” the letter said.
CPA recently announced the appointment of three key officials—Ed Mendiola as the new Saipan airport manager, Mary Ann Lizama as the new Saipan seaport manager, and Joe Bermudes as the new staff attorney.
