It is graduation season in the CNMI; at the same time, the government is undergoing austerity measures. <\/p>\n
That was the picture eight years ago, just as current press secretary Kevin Bautista was putting on a toga and mortarboard to close out his high school life. It feels like history is repeating itself these days\u2014\u201cgraduating from high school in 2011 and being part of the first austerity measures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bautista joined the CNMI government in 2015.<\/p>\n
Speaking in an interview soon after last week\u2019s Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting where he mentioned his experience with government austerity as a fresh high school graduate then, Bautista readily concedes that the Torres administration\u2019s decision to implement the austerity measures was difficult, knowing full well that it was not going to be a popular decision. \u201cIt is not the best or fun thing to do but it is the most painless option that we have to do over a series of scenarios,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As it is right now\u2014a 72-hour work week\u2014 \u201censures that we still have a payday Friday on the second week of the pay period,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He describes it as a pro-active approach when looking at the government\u2019s revenue collection: \u201censuring that we didn\u2019t have to lay off anyone.\u201d <\/p>\n
One important element, Bautista said, was that the government did not have to resort to furloughs. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe did not want to resort to a decision of a furlough and that was the [the] most important thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Had the CNMI government opted to keep the 80-hour workweek and maintained that until the end of the fiscal year under the current budget authority, that would have resulted in 500 employees in the government being let go, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the U.S. mainland, budget cuts are so severe that the decision in Congress leads to a thousand employees being cut [just] like that in a certain department across the board,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bautista describes the experience as both emotional and frustrating. \u201cYou graduate from high school with this goal of wanting to provide real progress. \u2026We ran on that platform because it was important for us to articulate that everyone deserves to feel progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis economic challenge is not going to get solved overnight. \u2026We are managing a different and pro-active approach by looking at collection and ensuring that we didn\u2019t have to lay off anyone,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Prioritizing full-on economic recovery by working with the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, encouraging small businesses and tourism partners to revitalize the tourism industry, and diversifying the economy are on the lists of getting out of this mire, according to Bautista.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really need to come together as a community during this time. \u2026We are hopeful that the austerity measure will only be for the current fiscal year as it is early to say at this stage if it will continue in [fiscal year] 2020,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEight years ago, I didn\u2019t thought I\u2019d be in this position\u2026but\u2026we can\u2019t shy away from this challenge and let it define our future,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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