IPI reports of progress at resort site

As of last month, Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC’s Imperial Pacific Resort in western Garapan had 314 H2B Taiwanese workers and 150 H2B Mongolian workers.

IPI vice president for construction Eric Poon recently informed the Commonwealth Casino Commission during a CCC board meeting that a batch of Mongolian H2B workers are now on site, while another batch of Mongolian H2B workers will soon be brought in.

According to IPI’s progress report obtained by Saipan Tribune from CCC last week, IPI had 74 H2B Mongolian workers as of Sept. 24.

Poon stated in that same progress report that the other H2B workers they had, as of last month, were 314 from Taiwan, 12 from Thailand, and 57 from Australia.

It is not clear how many Taiwanese H2B workers IPI currently has, considering that 157 of them protested last Nov. 6. IPI allegedly pressured them to resign from their jobs even if their H2B visas were not expiring until January 2020. There were reports that those who protested subsequently resigned and had already left the CNMI.

Saipan Tribune has repeatedly asked for an update about the status of those Taiwanese who protested, but IPI legal counsel Phillip Tydingco did not reply. Other IPI lawyers and management staff either refused to comment or did not reply.

As of last Sept. 24, IPI had 354 H2B Taiwanese workers.

Poon said they have 15 management staff and 107 others from local manpower agency, Fritz Pacific.

Excluding the 15 management staff, IPI had a total of 640 workers as of last month.

Poon said that construction of Phase 1 of the resort hotel is in progress and is expected to be completed on Dec. 31, 2019.

He said construction of Phase 2 of the tower hotel’s level 3 and level 13 is in progress and is to be completed on June 30, 2020.

He said Phase 3 of level 2 VIP gaming and level 14 sky level started last June 1 and is expected to be completed on Sept. 30, 2020.

Poon said Phase 4 of the Beach Club started last Oct. 1 and will be completed on Dec. 31, 2020.

Poon said Typhoon Hagibis and Tropical Storm Bualoi interrupted IPI’s construction job site for a week.

Since there were some damage in some of the exterior works at the resort hotel’s suite terrace, the east wing was completed only at the end of October.

Poon said the Department of Public Works will grant them a conditional certificate of occupancy permit after DPW makes a final inspection of the east wing of the hotel’s main lobby’s level 1 and 2 offices.

Poon said the building façade cladding is in progress and hotel tower interior fit out pre-construction phase is in progress.

On external works, Poon said majority of the main forecourt has been completed, including the main water feature. He said secondary water feature installation work and rest of the stone work are in progress.

Poon said the resort hotel zone 1 main swimming pool earthwork is in progress.