FSM Information Services
Press Release
President Panuelo Administers Oath of Office to Dr. Rufino Mauricio, Kalwin Kephas, & Eugene Amor
PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On December 23rd, 2019 His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), administered the Oath of Office ceremony for the Honorable Dr. Rufino Mauricio, Director of the FSM Office of National Archives, Cultural & Historic Preservation (NACH), the Honorable Kalwin Kephas, Secretary of the Department of Education (DOE), and the Honorable Eugene Amor, Secretary of the Department of Finance & Administration (DOFA).
“Do you, [Rufino Mauricio /Kalwin Kephas/Eugene Amor], solemnly swear that you will faithfully execute the duties and responsibilities of the office to which you have been appointed, and will, to the best of your ability, uphold, promote, and support the laws and Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia, so help you God?” said President Panuelo.
“I do,” said Director Mauricio.
“I do,” said Secretary Kephas.
“I do,” said Secretary Amor.
In his remarks, Dr. Mauricio said, “I will promise that I will work hard, and give my thanks to you Mr. President for the nomination and to Congress for their confirmation.”
In his remarks, Secretary Kephas said, “The [DOE]…has challenging issues because it’s always moving with new ideas and new technologies…[but] I will do my best to carry out our mission to support our States and educate our children.”
In his remarks, Secretary Amor said, “I thank you for this extraordinary opportunity to serve the Nation and to serve the people under your leadership. I cannot emphasize enough how thankful, how honored, and how humbled I am to be given this very important role in our Nation. I have a very good team in Finance, and we stand ready to support you in advancing our development goals. I fully share your vision of an economy that is sustainable, that is inclusive, and that is environmentally friendly, and I will use all the power that is given to me as the Secretary of Finance to do what is best for our Nation. Thank you very much, Mr. President.”
In the President’s remarks, he said “Dr. Mauricio and NACH have done a lot over the years, including their work in promoting Nan Madol and helping it become a World Heritage Site…. Secretary Kephas and the [DOE] has done a lot over the years with teacher certification, strengthening schools through FSM School Accreditation, and soon—we hope—making early childhood education mandatory. ….And [DOFA] is our department that really looks after the finances in our Nation, and so I like it that [Secretary Amor] is a young Cabinet Member. That’s what I intended: we value the experience that all of you have, and we’ll continue to look to you for wisdom and advice—but we also need to bring in our young talent to be a part of our administration.”
“I will demand hard work as you already know,” President Panuelo continued, “because we serve our citizens, the people of our country…thank you for accepting your nominations, and I thank your families for coming behind you to support you in the work that we do.”