University of Guam Board of Regents chairwoman Liza Provido approved the personal leave of UOG president Thomas Krise for 10 days after Typhoon Mawar wreaked havoc. She approved his paid vacation leave the same day governor’s chief of staff Jon Junior Calvo placed a moratorium on government travel for all agency heads.
According to leave documents provided by UOG, Mr. Krise applied for and Ms. Provido approved his use of 56 annual leave hours on May 31, 2023, for a vacation that would begin June 3 and end June 13. Mr. Calvo wrote on May 31, “[E]ffective immediately, a moratorium on all government travel for Cabinet Members is imposed until further notice.”
The UOG president traditionally has been a member of the governor’s cabinet. UOG, while considered an autonomous agency, is heavily subsidized by the General Fund, which the governor controls.
Cabinet members have been seen in pictures and video posted on the governor’s social media pages assisting in the disaster relief and recovery effort, as residents struggle with a lack of water, food, proper sanitation, and electricity.
According to governor’s director of communications Krystal Paco-San Agustin, no other cabinet member has taken personal leave since the typhoon.
According to the leave documents, UOG Senior Vice President Anita Enriquez has been acting president.
On June 6, when Kandit made its initial inquiry about Mr. Krise, UOG marketing and communications manager Jonas Macapinlac provided an update on UOG’s recovery efforts. We provide his statement in its entirety:
“Most of the UOG Campus now has power. Still no water, but we’re hopeful that will be restored before our summer sessions start on June 13.“This week, we have set up a temporary ‘one-stop’ for student services like academic advisement, registration, financial aid, Bursar, and more at Room 112 at the School of Business and Public Administration Building. It’s open this Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 3pm.“We already have students coming by this morning to get registered for Fanuchånan 2023, so it would be great to get the word out.”
