Flashback Aug. 17, 2999-2001

Teno: No to 5-year stay limit
[/B] The proponent of the controversial initiative seeking a five-year stay limit on alien workers on the island is insistent, vowing to lobby support from voters if members of the Legislature reject its inclusion in the ballots during the November midterm elections. But Senate Vice President Thomas P. Villagomez is facing tough opposition from the Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio and House Speaker Diego T. Benavente, who yesterday finally spoke against his proposal. Tenorio said the Commonwealth still needs labor pool from Asian countries to fill in jobs in the private sector, citing the limited availability of local manpower to address the employment needs of companies on the island.

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted a total of $9.3 million in assistance for the construction of a new runway on the island-municipality of Tinian. According to Carlos H. Salas, executive director of the Commonwealth Ports Authority, this brings to $12.8 million the total amount of money now available for the project. “We are very appreciative of their assistance and perhaps, additional funds may become available in the near future,” said Salas. CPA management and consultants are now developing a draft bid documents for the project which may be released before the end of the year.

HANMI reiterates need for tourism master plan[/B]

The Hotel Association of Northern Mariana Islands has asked the Marianas Visitors Authority to consider drafting a long-term tourism master plan that will help guide tourism officials in marketing the CNMI abroad. HANMI vice president Mustafa Issa has expressed interest in participating in long-term planning by MVA. Tourism officials offered HANMI the opportunity to sit down and review its calendar of annual activities in order to help decide which projects should continue and additional activities the agency should engage in. MVA Board Chair Dave M. Sablan said it is very difficult for the tourism office to make any long-term plan because government funding is only made available every year. In a two-hour meeting held Tuesday, MVA and HANMI pledged to work together to achieve their common goal of effectively promoting the Northern Marianas as an ideal destination in the Pacific.

The Department of Public Safety has appealed for more funding to cover rising expenses for confidential informants who assist the police and other CNMI agencies in investigative and intelligence work. In a letter to Rep. Antonio M. Camacho, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Public Safety Commissioner Charles Ingram Jr. said the agency spends an average of $5,000 per year for this purpose alone. He even said he has to use his own money to pay confidential informants. DPS is seeking $50,000 in additional money for the Commissioner’s Office to boost its Criminal Intelligence Section, particularly in its fight to combat the growing international crimes in the Northern Marianas.

Fitial talks to lawyers about 4 E’s[/B]

The Covenant Party made such a good choice in Commissioner Rita Inos to run as the party’s candidate for lieutenant governor that the party’s opponents are at a loss on how to respond. This was stressed by House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial before the CNMI Bar Association yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel-Saipan. Fitial is running for governor in the November elections, with Inos as his running mate. “If you look at the newspaper, it seems some have decided the best way to attack my choice is to attack her relentlessly. It is a disgrace. We would be lucky to have someone of Rita’s caliber as Lt. Governor,” said Fitial.

As the Tenorio Administration nears the end of its term, the CNMI now more than ever needs a strong and aggressive governor who will not relent in defending the Commonwealth even if the federal government continues with its indifferent attitude towards the US insular areas. This came from House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial who said it is critical that voters in the upcoming general elections vote someone who can make people in Washington DC listen, otherwise, the CNMI will continue to be “the least of Washington’s priorities.”