NEWS: High-paid officials deliver food in hotel with agreement for hotel to provide & deliver food
By Eric Rosario
(Tumon, Guam) The government of Guam's unexecuted contract with the Pacific Star Hotel says the hotel is responsible for providing three meals a day, seven days a week to the people forced to quarantine at the hotel by the government.
But according to Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, her staff assistant Carlo Branch, and quarantine boss Rebecca Respicio, it is a long list of cabinet officials and Adelup staffers who are delivering the meals.
The governor disclosed the unexecuted contract to the Guam Legislature following an amplified orchestra of calls from the public for her administration to lose the attitude and to come clean with its handling of public finances during the health emergency.
Under the Statement of Leased Premises and Services to Be Performed clause of the contract found in its first two pages is a subsection E which states, in part, that the hotel shall provide quarantined persons with delivery of "palatable quality food to all quarantined persons at the facility."
Civil Defense administrator Charles Esteves, whose signature is required on the hotels contracts since the funding comes from his agency, confirmed that he has not signed any of these contracts. The contracts disclosed by Ms. Leon Guerrero show no signature by Mr. Esteves on the signature pages.
On top of the admissions from Ms. Leon Guerrero and her staff and cabinet that they, not the hotel, are delivering the food, are photos and video from cabinet officials clearly showing that the government employees are providing that service.
Mr. Branch first disclosed the government-provided delivery service when asked what the purpose of having high-paid cabinet officials at the quarantine hotel sites.
The cabinet members and Adelup staffers are accruing pay for hours worked beyond 40 hours a week at these locations.
These are the cabinet members staffers who have been detailed and are being paid for delivering food at rates that are up to six times what is paid to the hotel employees they displaced at these hotels:
Alice Taijeron, president of the Guam Housing Corporation
Rebecca Respicio, director of the Guam Energy Office
Lasia Casil, executive director of the Hagåtña Restoration and Redevelopment Authority
Jermaine Alerta, executive director of the Guam Developmental Disabilities Council
Melanie Brennan, director of the Department of Youth Affairs
Victor Villagomez, deputy director of the Department of Parks and Recreation
Phyliss Leon Guerrero, director of the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities
Michelle Perez, deputy director of DISID
Jack Hattig, administrative director of the Chamorro Land Trust Commission
Adrian Cruz, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture
Arlene Santos, director of the Guam Public Library System
Krisinda Aguon, deputy director of DYA
Walter Leon Guerrero, administrator of the Guam Environmental Protection Agency administrator
Gerard Toves, deputy director of the Department of Labor
Joseph Borja, director of the Department of Land Management
Jesse Garcia, deputy director of the Department of Public Works
Cecil Orsini, executive director of the Guam Contractors Licensing Board
Matt Santos, deputy director of the Bureau of Statistics and Plans
John Quinata, deputy manager of the airport
According to a March 30, 2020 memorandum released to Kandit News from a Freedom of Information Act disclosure, then-deputy chief of staff Jon Junior Calvo detailed the following Adelup staffers to the quarantine and isolation hotel sites:
Richard Arroyo
Kathleen Cepeda
Lawrence Alcairo
Candise Aragon
Kimberly Orsini
Tina Sanchez
Alejandro Rosalin
Patrick Finona
Benny Rosalin
Sean Scroggs
Alfred Aguon
Evonnie Hocog
Dwaine Sanchez
Bentley San Nicolas
