What did each Guam 'delegate' contribute to the San Francisco talks? The public auditor wants to know
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
The Office of the Public Auditor will not only audit the travel expenses incurred by a 30-member Guam delegation to San Francisco but will also expect individual accomplishment reports from each government official and employee in Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s entourage.
“I would love to read the statutorily required ‘trip report’ each member files upon return,” Public Auditor Benjamin Cruz said. “I would love to read the written presentations and PowerPoint presentations the delegates took with them.”
The governor is accompanied by Guam Del. James Moylan, Cabinet officials and assistants, department directors, four officials from the Guam Power Authority, two from the Guam Waterworks Authority and three from the Port Authority of Guam, among others. See full list here.
The Northern Mariana Islands government sent a 24-member delegation led by Henry Hofschneider, Gov. David Apatang’s chief of staff.
Guam and the CNMI came in full force for "high-stakes talks" with 100 federal officials to press the U.S. government to shoulder the consequential costs of hosting the military on Guam.
Dubbing the meeting an "unprecedented federal engagement,” the governor’s office sought to defend the public-funded trip as "a serious investment in what Guam is trying to achieve.”
Most of the traveling officials are coterminous with the governor, whose term ends in January.
“I am sure that whoever wins the upcoming election would also be interested in reading what was presented so that they know what to carry on or change,” Cruz said.
The meeting ended today, according to a spokesperson from the governor’s office. Other than brief press releases, however, the meeting produced scarce information.
“The least they could have done was broadcast the discussions on YouTube or made it available,” Cruz said. “Transparency and accountability would have dictated that the proceedings be made public.”
John Ryan, communications director, said the federal camp has imposed restrictions on the proceedings.
“Our delegation attempted to record the proceedings, but federal participants would not permit it,” he said. “Any public record we presented to federal officials will be made available in accordance with law.”
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Cruz noted that the program released by the governor’s office was labeled “Interagency Regional Convening.”
“It sounded like the federal government was the convenor. I would hope that the federal government would have convened here on Guam; our hotels would have loved to get all that business,” he said.
“State secrets could be blocked out. The efficient and effective continuation of governing in the upcoming years would have been assured had the convening been here or made public,” Cruz said.
Ryan said the administration attempted to hold the meeting on Guam but decided otherwise after being “told that doing so would limit the number and
range of federal officials who could participate.”
In an earlier statement, Ryan said the travel costs were still being compiled as the delegation included officials from autonomous agencies that follow accounting processes.
“As the convenor, I would hope the federal government paid for both delegations' travel,” Cruz said.
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Ryan defended the public-funded trip as an imperative move to call federal attention to Guam’s crucial needs.
“We did not go to San Francisco to fill a hotel. We went to press Washington for affordable housing, a new hospital, underground power, stronger infrastructure
and the federal resources Guam has sought for years,” he said.
Ryan recalled that when Cruz was in the legislature as its speaker, he "repeatedly called for high-level federal intervention to ensure
Guam did not lose itself during a period of massive military development.”
“Mr. Cruz also understands that important government work sometimes
requires travel. His own office regularly participates in off-island meetings when the work requires it," he added.
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