Live-blogging the Debate
Palau Presidential Debate
9:03 Antonio Bells: Furnish the hospital with the essential medicine. Make sure that the essential medicine has to be in stock all the time. I will push for more doctors and nurses.
9:01 Sandra Piernatozzi: We are very short sighted. Our hospital is 20 years old and its crumbling. Training Palauans for auxiliary health programs can help our medical and health services.
8:59 Tommy E. Remengesa Jr: I beg to differ that the hospital is referred to as morgue. Soon we'll have our first graduates from the Cuba School of Medicie. Reclassification of nurses help attract and retain personnel.
8:56 Surangel Whipps Jr: National hospital must be equipped and training for health/medical workers. We don't really know what the hospital needs. We provide funding and they use to hire administrative staff
8:54: Antonio Bells: Since every one all agree with me, I have nothing further to say on this sewer matter. But seriously we need to develop mass transit system, because the cost of transportation is very high.
8:52 Sandra Pierantozzi: New development in Koror to have their own sewer system. Will use the entire $10M from ROC to construct access road to villages. The Bemrei Highway exist now but no one has gone back home.
8:50 Tommy Remengesau Jr: Infrastructure is ongoing for road and utilities. There's a bill in the OEK that entices five-star development that will bring road, water and electricity.
8:48: Surangel Whipps Jr: Build access to road, water and sewer so that the crowd in Koror can move to their villages in Babeldaob. In regard to the sewer, there's no money to fix the problem...
8:46 Antonio Bells: I will force all of you to Babeldaob right night to solve the sewer system (laughter from the audience). Develop a public transportation to encourage the movement to villages to Babeldaob.
8:41: Tommy E. Remengesau Jr: The 99 years lease will be weaken the family structure. We have to educate ourselves, teach each other that 99 years is not the only lease term. You can negotiate a lower lease term.
8: 38 Surangel Whipps Jr: It's the law of the land. The only thing we can do is to amend the constitution. We need to task Bureau of Land & Survey to educate by providing training to the property owners of the value to their land.
8:37 Antonio Bells: Investors want a secure lease term. We have t be clear on what we want. For now as is, the 99 years lease, there is not much point to reduce down the 99 years lease. WE have to train people to be good negotiators for people to get the best deal.
8:35 Sandra Pierantozzi: No regulations has been developed since Palau adopted the constitutional amendment for 99 years lease. It was approved by the Palauan people.
8:20 Live blogging the debate is turning out to be a challenge with the wifi connection.
8: 19 10 minute break followed by the PCC students questions.
8:07 internet not cooperating
8:01 Sandra Pierantozzi With all do respect Mr. President, its not only about your mother-in-law. The chairman of the MEdical Referral Committee is urging my senate committee to look deeply into it because a lot of cases are not following established proceures.
7:59 Antonio Bells: I will ask OEK to fund hiring more police officers. If become a president, police director will no be appointed by the president. If I become president, I will make the Minister of Justice be the person to hire the attorney general and not the president.
7:50 Surangel Whipps Jr.: There's $10 million stimulus grant that comes to government every year, so we should be able to address some of the health challenges. We still don't have the medical waste incinerator. The Ministry of Health needs to have a pla.
7:47 Tommy Remengesau, Jr. There's anough responsibility to spread around so lets not point fingers. We have the best in national health care coverage in the pacific. before we have 50 sent in the referral. Now we have 500 cases.
7:44 Sandra Pierantozzi I will be calling an oversight hearing to look into this letter that has come to my attention on why there's a different treatment in referral cases.
7:42 Internet connection sucks! I've lost 28 minutes due to wifi connection. Missed first questions and part of the second.
7: 15 Report and progress report in the last . Like a household, there’s always things to be done around the house. There will always things to be done, and
7:09 Palau Media Council chairman Moses Uludong explaining the purpose, rules and introducing the presidential candidates.
7:03 Recital of Preamble of Palau's Constitution by PCC student
7:00 Opening Prayer by Father John Paul Illilau
6:58 Presentation of flag by Police Officer's honor guards
6:55 MC Stephanie Nakamura has announced that the program will begin in 5 minutes. Ea
6:46 Candidates Tommy E, Remengesau, Jr., Antonio Bells, Surangel Whipps Jr., are in the house. Sandra Pierantozzi yet to come.
6:40 Debate moderators are Island Times' Leilani Reklai and Pacific Note/OTV's Rolynda Jonathan.
6:33pm Seats are getting filled-up. Candidates' supporters are have taken seats, some wearing campaign shirts. PCC Cafeteria has been setup with 400 seats.
6:10pm Debate to start at 7:00pm
