Flashback October 23, 2000-2001

CNMI-bound cargoes come in trickles[/B]

Northern Marianas companies may have been keeping fewer inventories as a result of slow business activities here, manifested by the significant drop in the volume of CNMI-bound cargoes during the first half of the calendar year.

A report obtained from the Department of Commerce quoting statistics from the Commonwealth Ports Authority disclosed a 13 percent decline in the volume of inbound revenue tonnage between January and June 2000.

During the period under review, the ports authority recorded a total of 345,500 revenue inbound tonnage or a quarterly average of 172,750, lower than the average 197,275 revenue tons during the previous year.

Tanapag residents have asked the Department of Public Health to facilitate the assessment of the results of their medical evaluation including the blood testing in connection with polychlorinated biphenyl contamination.
Juan Tenorio, one of the leaders of Tanapag Action Group, said residents are anxious over the results of the blood test and they would like to find out as soon as possible the level of PCB contamination in their blood.
“We hope to find out at least before the year ends the results to ease people’s apprehensions,” he said.

Army Reserve eyed to secure NMI ports[/B]

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has asked the US Pacific Command for help in securing more men to guard the Commonwealth’s airports, in line with the increased security level being enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration nationwide.

As a possible solution to the manpower problem, Tenorio suggested activating the United States Army Reserve to augment the men that are now guarding the CNMI’s airports.

In a letter to Rear Admiral Tom S. Fellin, commander in chief of the US Pacific Command, Tenorio said that, since the FAA issued new security guidelines, the CNMI government has been faithfully implementing the new regulations, despite a crippling lack of manpower.

“We now face the reality that our few local law enforcement officers are over-tasked and are performing a significant amount of overtime due to the additional FAA-imposed responsibilities,” he said. “These officers and other airport officials are being taken away from performing the duties that they performed daily before the September 11 attacks…leaving shortages and gaps in our ability to meet local law enforcement needs.”

Visitor arrivals to the Northern Marianas, heavily impacted by the September 11 terrorist attacks and by the global travel scare, are expected to remain lull until the last quarter of 2002.

This, and the need to promptly address the tourism crisis, prompted the Strategic Economic Development Council to call for greater cooperation between Saipan , Tinian, and Rota.

Government financial projections reviewed by the SEDC show that unless airline load factors return to pre-September 11 levels by January, the resulting drop in CNMI revenue would make drastic cuts in government spending inevitable.

However, several visitor industry forecasts presented during the SEDC’s monthly meeting last week warn that those numbers are not expected to return to normal for quite some time, perhaps as late as the fourth quarter of 2002, stated a media statement from the SEDC.