Some activities during mid-September, 2014

From far left: Secretary of Resources and Development, Mr. Marion Henry; Chief of Staff Leo Falcam Jr.; Vice President, T.H. Alik L. Alik; Secretary of Finance and Administration, Mr. Kensley Ikosia; Secretary of Transportation, Communication and Infrastructure, Mr. Francis Itimai; and Secretary of Education, Dr. Rufino Mauricio -- during a Cabinet Meeting ahead of the start of the Fifth Regular Session of the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia on September 15, 2014.

Other key Department and Office staff attending the Cabinet Meeting at the President's Cabinet Room.

Meeting of the Executive Steering Committee of the Tax Reform Program, with members of the Unified Revenue Authority Board of Trustees observing on September 18th.

Vice President Alik administering the Oath of Office to Mrs. Christina Elnei, Pohnpei State representative on the Unified Revenue Authority Board of Trustees on September 18th at the conclusion of the Executive Steering Committee meeting. Holding the bible is Mrs. Sonia Kephas, staff member of the Tax Reform Program Office.

FSM Congress passes FY15 budget on first reading and lifts rescrictions to address FY14 budget shortfall

FSMIS (September 22, 2014): On its eight day of this Fifth Regular Session, the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), among other actions, passed the Fiscal Year 2015 Recommended Budget on first reading, with some changes to the bill, and still more changes expected to be made during the final reading.

 

Senator Isaac V. Figir, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Ways and Means, led the discussion on Standing Committee Report No. 18-209, which recommends the passage of Congressional Bill No. 18-216. The bill is for an Act to appropriate $54,103,500 from the General Fund of the FSM for the Fiscal Year ending September 30, 2015, in order to provide funding for the operations of all the branches of the FSM National Government, its agencies, programs, grants, subsidies, contributions, and capital and human resources development initiatives, and other purposes.

 

The Members present held some debates before passing the bill on first reading. Vice Speaker Paliknoa K. Welly pushed for and got passed a floor amendment to the bill that resulted in the deletion of a budget line item that would make available an amount of $50,000 to fund sidewalk construction along the Sekere-Palikir road. The Vice Speaker said he understood that another appropriation bill has already included the same construction need as part of its rationale. After much discussion, the Senators accommodated Vice Speaker Welly's concern and agreed to allow the Committee on Ways and Means to work on necessary corrections on the bill's figures before its final reading tomorrow.

 

Another important action relates to Congressional Bill No. 18-214, which contains a request from the Executive Branch for Congress to lift the restriction on the President's ability to reprogram funds into (and out of) personnel budget in the Executive Branch in order to address personnel budget shortfall for various offices.

 

Today, on first reading of the bill, Congress passed the lifting of such restriction only for the end of the current fiscal year with some clarifications, specifying that the reprograming must not exceed the amount of $39,000 and only pertains the supplementation of personnel budget for the President's Office, the Public Information Office, the Office of Personnel, the Office of Environment and Emergency Management-- Office of the Director, the Office of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Office of FSM Insurance Board, and the Office of National Archives, Culture and Historic Preservation from any of the personnel budget line items in the Executive Branch for FY14.  

 

Personnel budget shortfall also occurs in personnel budget item for Members of Congress. Speaker Dohsis Halbert, in response to an informal question by a certain Member, said that the Congress Budget Officer has assured him that Members will be able to get their pay check this Wednesday. How Congress Office addressed existing budget shortfall in Members salary has not been made public yet.

 

In spite of some positive actions in addressing the shortfall, employees from the affected offices have been informed by their superiors that they will not be able to get their pay check on September 24th. For certain staff of the OEEM, this will be the second pay period that they will not get paid as the fiscal year fades out.

 

Congress will resume meeting tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to progress action on scheduled items, including a number of Congressional resolutions deferred from today's meeting.

 

For inquiries on this report, email markapito@gmail.com, or call the FSM Public Information Office at 320-2548.

PMU issues Invitation for Bids re Two construction Projects in Pohnpei State, FSM

Mrs. Changeina Masang appointed FSM Honorary Consul in the Republic of Palau

FSMIS (September 22, 2014): Mrs. Changeina Masang, Chuukese by birth, married and residing in Palau for several years, has been appointed the Honorary Consul of the Federated States of Micronesia in the Republic of Palau by President Manny Mori. 

President Mori made the appointment on September 18th pursuant to Article X of the FSM Constitution and Title 10 of the Code of the FSM and in accordance with Chapter 3 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963, as stated in the commissioning document. 

President Mori' appointment requires acknowledgement and giving of credence by the President of the Republic of Palau in order for Mrs. Masang to be able to carry out the duties and functions of her appointed office.  

Vice President Alik informs Congress of $11,121,580 FY14 Supplemental Education Grant

FSMIS (September 22, 2014): Federated States of Micronesia Vice President Alik L. Alik provided Congress information on the approved Supplemental Education Grant for the FSM National Department of Education, the College of Micronesia-FSM, and the education departments for the States of Chuuk, Pohnpei, Yap and Kosrae for the period of October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015.

The distribution of the money is as follows:

FSM Department of Education    $428,812

College of Micronesia – FSM      $683,346

Chuuk State DOE                        $4,226,201

Kosrae State DOE                        $1,212,251

Pohnpei State DOE                      $2,814,872

Yap State DOE                            $1,756,098

Total:                                          $11,121,580

The availability of the “Notification of Grant Award” document was indicated through a September 10, 2014, communication to FSM Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Asterio Takesy, from Mr. Nikolao I. Pula, Diretor, Office of Insular Affairs, United States Department of the Interior. Enclosed with the communication was the notification document itself.

President Mori appoints Associate Justice Johnny Acting Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the FSM

FSMIS (September 22, 2014): On September 11, 2014, Federated States of Micronesia President Manny Mori appointed Associate Justice Ready Johnny as Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia.

President Mori wrote to Justice Johnny, " In view of the vacancy in the office of the Chief Justice of the  FSM Supreme Court, the President  has the constitutional duty to appoint an associate justice of the Supreme Court to perform the duties of the office pending the appointment of a chief justice".

He went on to say, "Therefore, pursuant to the authority vested in me as the President of the FSM under Article XI Section 4 of the FSM Constitution, you are hereby appointed as Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Federated States of Micronesia until the court vacancy is filled".

The vacancy came about when the late Chief Justice Martin G. Yinug passed away on August 31st in Yap State, leaving the Supreme Court with only two other Justices -- Associate Justice Johnny and Associate Justice Beauleen Carl Worswick. 

According to Mr. Kohsak Keller on September 22nd, Chief Clerk of the FSM Supreme Court, Acting Chief Justice Johnny will continue to be based in Chuuk State. The Supreme Court will coordinate between the main Office in Palikir and the Chuuk Office on matters that require ACJ Johnny's attention. 

For inquiry, contact the FSM Supreme Court Palikir Office at 320-2357 or email fsmpio@mail.fm.

FSM Telecommunications Corporation seeks for a System Administrator

FSM Telecommunications Corporation

Vacancy No: 06-14 
Opening Date: 09/22/2014 
Closing Date: 10/07/2014

Position & Salary

Systems Administrator

$30,000USD minimum per annum. Higher salary may be considered based upon qualification.

Location:  

FSM Telecommunications Corporation P.O. Box 1210
Pohnpei, FM 96941

The Systems Administrator shall reside in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, where the Corporation is headquartered. The position requires occasional travel to other FSM states.

Qualifications

Associate’s degree or higher in computer science, computer information systems or a closely related field, or the equivalent in professional work experience. He/she should have a minimum of five (5) years work experience in systems or network administration. The incumbent should have the ability to exercise a high degree of professional initiative and autonomy, as demonstrated in his/her record of employment and performance.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Systems Administrator shall be responsible for the operation of the Corporation’s information and communication technology systems. The position primarily requires the applicant to perform IT systems administration duties that are related to the installation, maintenance and support of IT systems servicing FSMTC customers and staff. The Systems Administrator will be involved in the implementation and support of a broad array of IT systems, including but not limited to critical business applications, servers, workstations, network infrastructure, storage arrays, virtualisation technologies, email, database and website systems. The incumbent will be required to perform root cause analysis of problems, troubleshooting of incidents, documentation of systems and preventative maintenance. The successful applicant will provide clear feedback and require sound communication skills between customers, peers and management. The incumbent is responsible for assisting both FSMTC customers and staff, providing technical support and guidance in solving both hardware and software related problems. The Systems Administrator reports directly to the Information Technology Manager.

The Systems Administrator will in particular:

1. a)  Manage and support the Corporation’s critical line of business applications.
   
2. b)  Install and maintain server hardware and software deployments.
   
3. c)  Maintain reliable operation of IT services, including IP networks, email, DNS, websites, etc.
   
4. d)  Perform preventative maintenance and updates on systems and networking equipment.
   
5. e)  Administer aspects of Windows Active Directory domain including user and email management.
   
6. f)  Monitor system performance and event logs, taking corrective action when necessary.
   
7. g)  Administer various server OS including Windows Server, CentOS and Oracle Linux.
   
8. h)  Support, mentor and where necessary, manage junior technicians on relevant systems.
   
9. i)  Provide customer service and support for the various services offered by the Corporation.
   
10. j)  Troubleshoot and resolve customer incidents quickly and efficiently, minimizing downtime.
    
11. k)  Develop and maintain detailed documentation of systems, networks, processes and their relationships.
    
12. l)  Provide after-hours support as needed on a 24-hour basis, particularly for emergency problem resolution for the Corporation’s data and communication systems.
    
13. m)  Perform other related duties as assigned.
    

How to Apply

Applications can be obtained from any FSMTC office or on our website at www.fsmtc.fm/jobs. Applications, CV/resumes and reference letters can be submitted to Ludick Edward, HR Manager, via email to ludick.edward@fsmtc.fm or via post to the above address.
FSMTC Headquarters  P.O. Box 1210  Pohnpei, FM 96941
Phone +691 320 2740  Fax +691 320 2745  http://www.fsmtc.fm  customerservice@fsmtc.fm

Page 2 of 2 

Over $600 Thousand SAMHSA grant awarded to nine service providers in the FSM

On September 4, 2014, Dr. Vita A. Skilling, Secretary of the Federated States of Micronesia  Department of Health and Social Affairs, approved the use of the $644,178 Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block grant to nine applicants to provide prevention and treatment services on substance use throughout the FSM states as recommended by the FSM Behavioral Health and Wellness Advisory Council.

From August 29th to September 3rd, the FSM Behavioral Health and Wellness Advisory Council met in Kosrae State to review and hear justifications from the applicants regarding their funding proposals. More than twenty percent of the grant was awarded to four Non-Government Agencies to provide drug prevention programs and the rest of the grant was designated to the National and State Behavioral Health and Wellness programs to provide treatment counseling, community prevention and administrative services.

The United States Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awards to FSM this type of grant every year to prevent the risks of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs that cause social problems, diseases, harm, injuries and death. The SAPT Block grant will be available from October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015.

For inquiry, call the Department at 320-2619 or email Mr. Kerio Walliby via kwalliby@fsmhealth.fm.

To our valuable recipients of FSM Updates from our blogger, corrections

I wish to bring to your attention that there is an error in the previous article released about 2 hours ago regarding the SAMHSA grant for the FSM Department of Health and Social Affairs.

The title of the article incorrectly states that the grant amount allocated amongst 9 "service providers" in the country is "over $600 million". The correct amount is "over $600 Thousand", or as specified in the body of the article.

The FSMPIO begs your pardon for incorrectly reporting to you earlier today. The correction has had been made on other media platforms. Hope the correction has been properly noted with our information users.

Have a great weekend.

FSM set to operationalize the new Unified Revenue Administration system

FSMIS (September 19, 2014): On September 18, 2014, the Federated States of Micronesia Vice President Alik L. Alik convened the Executive Steering Committee (ESC) for the FSM Tax Reform Program at the President’s Cabinet Room, Palikir, Pohnpei.

The ESC consists of the Vice President as chairman and the four Governors of the State Governments in the FSM: Governor Sebastian Anefal, Yap State; Governor Johnson Elimo, Chuuk State; Governor John Ehsa, Pohnpei State, and Governor Lyndon Jackson, Kosrae State.

After welcoming ESC members to Palikir, Vice President Alik briefed the Governors on President Manny Mori’s decision to transition the FSM Division of Customs and Tax Administration (CTA) to the Unified Revenue Authority (URA) in Fiscal Year 2015 and solicited further input from the Executives.

The URA was created through FSM Public Law 16-75, which is known as the FSM Unified Revenue Authority Act of 2010.

Mr. Rensley Sigrah, the Tax Reform Program manager, also helped in guiding discussions, drawing attention to earlier ESC recommendations with respect to revenue reform for all governments and the need to transition to the URA in FY15.

It was pointed out that current CTA personnel will move into a new system under the URA, with governing power vested in a 5-member Board of Trustees. The transitioning will be initiated on October 1^st with the expectation that the URA will be able to assume full-blown administrative capacities by January, 2015.

In general, the ESC concurs to having the URA oversee the administration of taxes for the FSM National Government and the State Governments as part of longstanding endeavor to reform tax regime in the FSM and maintain a unified front for all the governments. It is also the position of the ESC to prevent over-burdening of any of the participating governments as far as the initial financing of the URA’s administrative and related costs as the system charts a new way forward.

Additionally, the meeting allowed members to jointly review the current status of the Tax Reform program after the Revenue Administration Act (RAA) went down with the Sunset Clause mandate. The mandate required that the RAA could only be implemented if all the State Governments enacted their respective Value Added Tax (VAT) by April 30, 2014. Only Chuuk State and Kosrae State opted to enact the VAT Tax. However, ESC members stressed their common view that the remaining States that chose not to enact their VAT Tax before the “sunset” clause deadline could still determine to do so in the future to be in sync with the others.

At the end of the meeting, Vice President Alik conducted the oath of office for Pohnpei States representative on the URA Board of Trustee, Ms. Christina Elnei, who is currently the Acting Director of the Pohnpei State Department of Finance, bringing the Board to full membership.

Other members of the Board took part in the ESC meeting as observers. Later on during the day, the Board held its own session also at the President’s Cabinet Room.

For further information, please contact Tax Reform Program at 320-6553 or email fsmpio@mail.fm.