October 31, 2020

On Monday, October 26, 2020, Mr. Tadasy Yamaguchi, Lepen Moar Madolenihmw, stopped by the Governor’s office for a courtesy visit.  Governor Oliver, Lt. Governor Perman, Director of Education, Mr. Stanley Etse, and Public Affairs Officer, Mr. Kapilly Capelle, welcomed Mr. Yamaguchi to Peilapalap.  Mr. Yamaguchi was also a Judge at the Court of Land Tenure for many years.   During his brief visit to the Governor’s Office, Mr. Yamaguchi was able to share recollections of Kolonia’s past.  He shared memories of Kolonia during the Japanese era, recalling the Japanese names of certain parts of Kolonia.  He also spoke of playing baseball in his younger years and then named members of his Kolonia baseball team that included past leaders of Pohnpei.  At shortstop, he recalled the late Itor Harris, at first base, the late Dr. Alex Panuelo, in the outfield the late Mr. Welson Lemuel, He mentioned the late Mr. Case Scaliem as a team member and their coach was the late Inoske Yamada.     Governor Oliver thanked Lepen Moar Madolenihmw, Mr. Tadasy Yamaguchi for his visit to Peilapalap and presented him with a small token of appreciation for his visit.  

On Monday, October 26, 2020, Governor Oliver and Lieutenant Governor Perman welcomed the Legislative branch led by the Hon. Ausen T. Lambert, Speaker of the 10th Pohnpei State Legislature and Vice Speaker, Hon. Stevick Edwin, to the Governor’s Conference Room for a Joint State Leadership Meeting at 10:00 am. Lt. Governor Perman and Speaker Lambert provided opening remarks for the Executive and Legislative branches, respectively. Lt. Governor Perman welcomed Mr. Rob Solomon from the FSM Department of Finance, asking him to help explain the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA). Speaker Lambert thanked Governor Oliver for initiating this joint leadership meeting and also for the FSM Department of Finance for accepting the Governor’s invitation to provide a presentation on the PUA. Mr. Rob Solomon, represented the FSM Secretary of Finance, Mr. Eugene Amor. Mr. Solomon gave an overview of the program, including the prescribed amounts payable to qualified applicants, $166 per week, and added that from April – July 2020, an additional $600 was included in the weekly payments. He went on to add that the PUA is a U.S. Department of Labor regulated program and the FSM Department of Finance is following their rules and regulations and because FSM does not have an unemployment benefits program, the guidelines used are for the state of Hawaii. Since the start of the program, there has been $7 million paid out in PUA benefits, $4 million in Pohnpei alone. In explaining eligibility for PUA, Mr. Solomon said that everyone is encouraged to apply, but not everyone will be eligible for benefits. He said since there have been no positive COVID-19 cases in FSM, proving that COVID-19 is the reason for loss or reduction of income is crucial in the application process. During the question and answer session that followed Mr. Solomon’s presentation, Governor Oliver reiterated an offer that was made before the start of the PUA program in Pohnpei to provide assistance to the PUA office through a State Focal Point, to help Pohnpei residents properly fill out applications and provide the required documents to qualify. Mr. Solomon acknowledged that a challenge exists with applications being properly filled out and would take the Governor’s request to the FSM Secretary of Finance. Speaker Ausen T. Lambert asked that this very important benefit be managed carefully especially in light of the ongoing compact re-negotiations.