Senate committee hears re-nominations of Donna Flores and Monique Sablan to CNMI Scholarship board

The Senate Standing Committee on Executive Appointments and Government Investigations on May 28 held a public hearing on the re-nomination of Donna M. Flores and Monique B. Sablan to the CNMI Scholarship and Financial Assistance Board of Directors representing the 3rd Senatorial District.

Jean Paul B. Regis, special assistant for administration to Governor David M. Apatang, introduced the re-nominations and summarized the nominees’ credentials. “I am pleased to introduce the re-nomination of Ms. Donna M. Flores and Ms. Monique B. Sablan,” Regis said, asking the committee for prompt consideration.

Both nominees described recent operational changes and priorities if reappointed. Monique B. Sablan, who identified herself as vice chair of the CNMI Scholarship and Financial Assistance Board and director at the Northern Marianas College training center, said the office has focused on outreach and workforce development and pledged to continue serving with integrity.

“We transformed our relationship with both the House and the Senate through a commitment of data transparency, respect, and shared accountability,” Sablan said, describing outreach to high schools and community conferences.

Board Chair Donna M. Flores told the committee the office restructured under Public Law 24-10, signed Aug. 5, 2025 (introduced as House Bill 24-19), which she said legally expanded the office’s mandate to include a broader financial portfolio and enforcement authority. “By passing Public Law 24-10, the legislature and Governor Apatang gave us the confidence and the legal framework to operate as an accountable financial institution,” Flores said.

Flores recounted emergency cost-cutting measures taken when local revenues fell and ARPA funding was depleted. She said the board suspended some merit incentives and the Graduate School Student Loan Program (GSSL) to avoid insolvency, and later stabilized the office’s finances. Flores described three pillars for future work: return-to-service obligations tied to scholarships, prioritizing vocational and technical certification, and building early career pathways in secondary schools.

“Instead of looking at obligations as a penalty, I would like to partner with private sector and local government to guarantee meaningful career placement for returning citizens immediately upon graduation,” Flores said.

Administrator Mildred S. Camacho spoke in support of both nominees and submitted written letters for the record, praising the nominees’ leadership, fiscal stewardship, and institutional knowledge. Camacho said the office remains active in collections for recipients who did not return to the Commonwealth and offered to provide data to the committee on those collections.

Committee members pressed nominees on program status and finances. Senator Francisco Q. Cruz asked whether suspended programs remain paused; Flores confirmed the Graduate School Student Loan Program is still suspended due to current cash-flow constraints. Administrator Camacho told the committee the office serves about “400-ish” recipients per semester and that the current base scholarship award is $750 across the board.

Several senators emphasized workforce implications if the CWN visa program sunsets on Dec. 31, 2029. Senator Manny T. Castro urged expanded career-technical education and apprenticeships, including in-prison training and overseas partnerships, saying the board must plan for multiple scenarios if federal programs change.

The hearing record also noted nominations’ reforms to an online application portal, which Flores said reduced processing times “from months to days,” and the office’s intent to align scholarship offerings with local workforce needs.

Reverend (for the record) and the committee noted written testimony in support from Frankie M. Eliptico, senior vice president at Northern Marianas College; no written opposition was received at the time of the hearing.

Chair Cruz said all written testimony and the hearing record will be forwarded with the committee’s recommendation to the full Senate for confirmation consideration. After routine motions, the committee adjourned by voice vote.

What happens next: the committee’s recommendation and the hearing record will go to the full Senate for confirmation review; no confirmation vote was recorded during this public hearing.

Sources: oral testimony and statements delivered at the May 28, 2026 public hearing by Jean Paul B. Regis (governor’s administration), Monique B. Sablan (board vice chair), Donna M. Flores (board chair), and Mildred S. Camacho (administrator).