Pago Pago - AMERIKA SAMOA

SENATE:  PAOPAO KUREA

O le aso Gafua, Fepuari 3, 2025 na pasia ai e le Maota o le Senate ia le avea o le susuga ia Paopao Kuresa ma Faatonusili o le Ofisa o Tagata Matutua (TAOA), i se palota 16-0.

Sa fa’alauiloa i luma o le iloiloga a le Komiti o Tulafono a le Senate le savalia o le 51 tausaga talu ona tautua le sui filifilia, i totonu o le malo.  

I lana fa’asoa mai, sa faapea ona tomanatu ai Paopao i vaitaimi na o la fa’ato’a galulue ai ma le Afioga i le Taitai Komiti, ia Magalei Logovi’i, i le 1974, i le Ofisa o Tupe.  Ma sa ta’ua foi e Paopao, lona galue i Matagaluega e 4 a le malo, i lona 50 tausaga, ae 32 tausaga sa galue ai i le TAOA.

Sa saunoa Paopao, o se taimi muamua lenei ua mafai ai ona ia faapea mai ma le faamaoni, ua fia avea o ia ma Faatonusili.  Ma sa ia ta’ua le tele o taimi sa ofoina atu ai lenei galuega ia te ia, e kovana ua mavae atu, ae sa ia te’ena ona sa ia mana’o e fa’ato’a talia lenei tofiga pe a atoa le 50 tausaga o lana tautua.

Na fa’aalia e le Afioga i le Senatoa Togiola T.A. Tulafono, lona agaga fa’afetai ia Paopao ona o lana tautua i totonu o le malo, aua o se molimau lea i lana tu’uto i le malo ma tagata o Amerika Samoa.  Ma sa saunoa Togiola, e leai sona masalosalo ua lava agava’a le sui filifilia e tauaveina tiute o se Faatonusili.

Sa faapea loa ona fa’atula’i e Togiola se lafo ina ia tu’umuli atu le susuga ia Paopao, ae soalaupule e le komiti lona tofiga.  E ui ina sa fa’aluaina le mau na fa’atula’i, ae peitai, sa iai nisi o Afioga i Senatoa sa iai ni mataupu na o latou fia fesiligia ai le sui filifilia. 

O le talosaga mai i le Afioga i le Senatoa ia Ma’o F. Gogo, ia taofi le polokalama a le TAOA mo taumafa vela, ae tufa i tama ma tina matutua ia ni pepa taumafai, e mafai ona fa’atau ai lava e i latou, a latou meaai taumafa.

O le taimi nei, o lo’o iai ni konakarate o lo o gafa ma le gaseseina o taumafa mo tama ma tina matutua, e fa’atolu i le vaiaso.

Sa faamalamalama mai e Paopao, ua mae’a ona o latou soalaupuleina ma le Afioga i le Kovana ma le Lutena Kovana ia lea manatu o le toe fo’i i pepa taumafa.  Ae peitai, ua mae’a ona sainia se konakarate i le va o le faigamalo ma le ofisa feterale, e fa’aauauina ai taumafa vela, se’ia o’o i le tausaga e 2027.

I le tali mai a Paopao i se fesili a Magalei, sa ia ta’ua ai e faapea, e pe a ma le $76,000 e fa’aaluina i le masina i lea polokalama, o lona uiga, e pe a ma le $11.75 i le tagata, i le aso e tasi, e fa’atolu i le vaiaso.

Sa saunoa Togiola, ina o avea o ia ma Kovana, sa talosagaina ai e ofisa feterale i lalo o le HHS (Health and Human Services) Region 9,  ia le suia o le polokalama mai i pepa taumafa, i taumafa vela e pei ona iai nei.  O le HHS Region 9 lea o lo’o tautuaina nisi o settee o Amerika faapea ma teritori, e aofia ai Amerika Samoa.

Na fa’aalia foi e Togiola, o le polokalama mo taumafa vela, ua alagatatau mo tama ma tina matutua i setete o Amerika, ona e sili atu lelei le tau ma tulaga o meaai faapea le eseese o mea’ai e mafai ona filifili mai ai, pe a faatusatusa mai i le teritori, lea e faalagolago i oloa mai fafo.

Sa ia finau mai e faapea, e sili atu le aoga o pepa taumafa i tama ma tina matutua a le teritori.  O se faataitaiga sa ia faaleoina, o le $33, e mafai ona faatauina ai se taga alaisa ma pusa moa e lua, mo le vaiaso atoa.

Ma sa ia faaleoina le toatele o nisi o tama ma tina matutua e le o fia taumafa i mea’ai mai i le polokalama a le TAOA, ae ua foa’i mo a latou fanau po o isi tagata o le aiga.

O lea sa ia u’una’ia ai Paopao ina ia soalaupule ma le Ofisa a le Kovana e toe aumai le polokalama mo pepa taumafa.

Sa saunoa le Taitaifono, afai ae pasia le tofiga o Paopao, o le a toe valaauina o ia e toe auai mai i se iloiloga ina ia toe iloiloina ai lenei mataupu ma saili se fofo.

I se faaopoopo a le Samoa News, i le mafua’aga na suia ai len

Samoa News should point out that one of the reasons the voucher system was replaced with catered food was because of federal grant program requirements — it is to provide ’hot meals’ to seniors, not ‘food stamps’, such as provided by federal programs such as ASNAP.

Currently, there is also a question about payments to caterers not being done in a timely manner, despite it being federally funded.

SENATE – JONES

Timothy Jones, the governor's nomination for Director of the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources (DMWR), was confirmed by the Senate yesterday morning in a 13-3 vote.

The Senate Communications, Fisheries/Marine & Wildlife Committee confirmation hearing was chaired by Senator Olo Uluao Letuli, standing in for committee chairman Senator Fano F. Shimasaki, who called in sick, and Vice Chair Senator Alo P. Stevenson, who is off-island due to health issues

In his opening remarks, Jones told senators that he had not prepared a speech, following the advice of a popular local political leader who said that if you want someone to hear from your heart, don't read from a speech.

"He told me that the mistakes the heart makes still send a message better than reading a speech, so I'm going to speak as directly and honestly as I can," he began. "It's very humbling to be in front of leaders of such magnitude in American Samoa for a palagi, knowing full well that hard questions are coming. And those questions will be answered on TV. I'm prepared for those questions with respect."

The director nominee, who is the only non-Samoan in the Pula & Pulu administration's cabinet nominations, thanked the governor and lieutenant governor for their trust and faith in him to put forth their agenda and enforce their policies and priorities.

He also expressed gratitude to the many DMWR staff members who showed up in the Senate chamber to show their support.

The first two senators to ask him questions were Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean and Senator Gaoteote Palaie Tofau, and their questions were quite easy.

Tuaolo greeted Jones and stated that he "campaigned to his fellow senators the day before to approve you because you're the only white man in this proposed cabinet. I'm not supposed to do it, but I don't want you to think that we Samoans discriminate against white people."

Tuaolo had only one question for the nominee, which was, when is the Palolo season? Jones answered October and November. Tuaolo concluded by telling him that his mission was to gather a lot of Palolo for senators every season.

Senator Gaoteote asked the director nominee if he went to church. Jones replied that he was not a regular churchgoer but had attended church.

Gaoteote advised him to get a matai title and go to church, as going to church is a very important part of life in American Samoa. Gaoteote also asked Jones what he would do to improve the department and its mission.

Jones stated that upon taking up his new appointment, he had talked to the staff at all levels, and the one common sentiment he had gleaned from their statements was that they felt unsupported by management.

He said he has worked on improving morale in the department and that the staff would testify that they feel they are receiving more support from management in a more personal way that they appreciate. He also stated that the department is operating smoothly and the budget is strong.

Senator Magalei Logovi'i asked why he wanted to apply for the position, and Jones responded that he had not wanted to apply but had been asked by some of the DMWR staff to help. He said some of those people were present.

He explained that he knows a lot of the staff personally because he lives on the water, spends a lot of time on the water, and has spent most of his life on the water as a commercial and private fisherman. He said he encounters most of the staff daily and has developed personal relationships with many of them.

Senator Togiola T.A. Tulafono followed up on Jones' revelation that he had applied for the directorship of the department because some staff members had encouraged him to apply and help them. He asked the nominee if this meant that he had not wanted to apply until some staff members had asked him to.

Jones confirmed that he had not considered applying until some of the staff members had approached and asked him to consider it.

Togiola asked how many fishing vessels he owned in the Territory. Jones stated that he owned one commercial fishing boat, which was now inoperable, and one smaller fishing vessel he used for fishing around the harbor.

Togiola asked if he was thinking of refurbishing the vessel and returning to commercial fishing. Jones replied that he had initially thought about it but did not have the funds to do so. The vessel has now deteriorated greatly and is on a list of vessels to be cut up and disposed of through a grant facilitated by the harbor master for derelict vessels in the harbor.

Senator Togiola followed up on Jones' earlier statement that he had applied for the job because some staff members had asked for his help and to consider applying. Togiola said their complaint of not getting support from management reflects badly not only on divisional management but also on the ultimate manager or the former director.

He asked Jones how he would resolve any conflicts of interest between the staff and management.

Jones responded that Governor Pula campaigned on putting people first, which means all levels of people in a department. He felt that if he supported the staff, he was also supporting the mandates from the government.

He said he had already explained to the staff that he is not a career service manager but a political appointee from the Governor's Office, and he felt that cooperation between all parties concerned is needed, from the staff up to the director, and from the Governor's Office downward.

Senator Togiola stated that, according to press releases from the Governor's Office, there is now a structure where department directors report to an executive director before it gets to the governor. He asked Jones if he was aware of that structure in his department.

Jones said he was aware of a temporary organizational chart that was misconstrued by the media. He argued that he has received no instructions to report to anyone but the governor of the Territory.

Senators took note that most of Jones' experience was with marine resources, while DMWR is also responsible for wildlife resources. Jones said that the department has wildlife biologists who would advise and guide him regarding forests.

When asked about his position on prohibited fishing areas and sanctuaries, he said that there are two ways to view this: as a businessman and as a conservationist. He said his stance would be dictated by the governor's policies.

With his Senate confirmation, Jones now goes to the House for confirmation. He will need to be passed by the House in order to officially become a Cabinet director.

HOUSE – TAPUMANAIA

The House confirmed Tapumanaia Galu Satele as Director of the Department of Youth and Women’s Affairs (DYWA), 13-3. He passed the Senate confirmation vote unanimously last week.

Tapumanaia was given the opportunity to address the faipule and to answer questions.

Faipule Trude Ledoux-Sunia did not pose any questions, as she routinely does, but threw her full support behind Tapumanaia’s candidacy.

“Your resume and work ethic speaks volume of your character and your passion for youth and for young people,” Sunia attested.

She did, however, encourage Tapumanaia to look into developing programs at the DWYA facilities in her district in Pago Pago, which, she believes, is often overshadowed by the DYWA in Tafuna.

Ledoux-Sunia further highlighted the significance of DYWA’s role and providing the necessary funding to deliver its programs.

 “This department is up there with the Department of Education in importance, but it is the most, probably, underfunded department, so I hope that in the next budget we can pull more resources so that we can help you develop the youth.”

Faipule Avagafono Vaimaga Maiva asked if Tapumanaia had taken a drug test and background check, to which Tapumanaia responded in the affirmative.

Avagafono underscored the importance of enforcing this policy as it is mandated by the government.

Faipule Tapai Alailepule Ben Vaivao probed Tapumanaia about his previous position within the department during the Lolo administration and if there was a particular reason why left.

Tapumanaia responded that he had requested to be transferred, as it was his belief that the department was heading in a different direction than he had anticipated. He was tasked with many programs in Pago Pago, but was reassigned to oversee the construction of the new facilities in Tafuna.

He explained that after the completion of the gym, a situation arose in the village of Pago Pago and it was then that he felt he was not valued for his work and wanted to be transferred to another department in which he would be of more value.

Tapumanaia, however, is grateful for the opportunity presented and stated that he is elated to return to the department that he deeply cherishes.

He referenced a popular belief about tuna being the greatest export of American Sāmoa, but he countered that claim with this:

“I stand before you and I say this, ‘Our greatest export is our children. It is our right and obligation to ensure that our children have the opportunity to return and serve our people.’

“That is my goal, to return to this department to achieve the objective of ensuring a successful future for our children and that they be productive and utilize their skills and talents.”

Faipule Larry Sanitoa offered his support for Tapumanaia and acknowledged the issues with funding for the DYWA facilities in Tafuna. He suggested that the Acting Director look into both federal and local funding, including resources that could be provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) office in American Sāmoa.

The Speaker of the House, Savali Talavou Ale, asked what programs Tapumanaia had in mind for the department, to which he responded by promising to implement programs that place special emphasis on nourishing the parent-child relationship.

Tapumanaia wanted to focus specifically on promoting the bonds between father and son and mother and daughter.

During his previous tenure as Deputy Director with the Department, Tapumanaia held “movie nights” to help promote the development of the relationships between parents and their children. The Acting Director also wants to develop a camp to strengthen the father-son and mother-daughter bonds and overall family relationships.

With regard to the development of women, Tapumanaia wanted to emphasize the empowerment of women. Currently, the department has programs that develop skills in sewing, cooking, elei printing, and others, which provide supplementary income.

He believes, however, “We need to do more, we need to empower women so that they are able to understand their value in our country.”

“We need to be able to focus more on how we can empower them to become successful, not just as pillars of our families, but as nurturers of our future generations.”

After his hearing, the House convened to confirm him. Tapumania is the third of Governor Pula’s cabinet members to be fully confirmed.