Senators stranded on Guam, Rota session cancelled

The scheduled Senate session on Rota yesterday was cancelled after some senators who flew from Saipan ended up on Guam due to bad weather.

Senate President Joaquin Adriano said he had to call off the session for lack of quorum.

He said four senators—majority floor leader Paul Manglona, Thomas Villagomez, Henry San Nicolas, and Joseph Mendiola, who were all on a Freedom Air flight—did not make it to the Rota session set at 10am.

Also with the group was legal counsel Michael Ernest.

“They informed us that they could not land due to very poor visibility,” said Adriano.

In a call from Guam, Mendiola said the plane was diverted to Guam. “We’re trying our best to get to Rota.”

Adriano said that he returned to Saipan aboard a 2:30pm flight. He said the next session would have to be rescheduled either for today or next week on Saipan.

It was not a complete waste, though, according to Adriano, who said that it was, in fact, a blessing in disguise since Federal Aviation Administration official Ron Simpson, who was in the same flight that got stranded on Guam, saw firsthand the Rota airport’s inadequate facilities.

He said Manglona took the opportunity to lobby Simpson for assistance to improve the navigational airport lighting on Rota and Tinian.

“The floor leader was telling me they were talking with Mr. Simpson about the delayed projects for Rota and Tinian. Mr. Simpson seems very willing to support the project. I’m told that Mr. Simpsom was very surprised that they couldn’t land at that condition,” said Adriano.

Adriano said his and four other senators’ flight made it to the Rota airport because they came in a bit earlier. “At about 10am, it was raining and they could no longer land,” he said.

Among the measures calendared for yesterday’s session were House bills 14-282, H.B. 14-281 H.B. 14-218, and H.B. 14-174.

H.B.14-282 is the proposed partial lifting of the hiring moratorium on garment workers.

“We’re supposed to act on this bill,” Adriano said.

During its last session, the Senate decided to refer the bill back to the committee level for further review and possible amendments.

The bill, authored by Rep. Oscar Babauta, allows the local garment industry to hire more workers, specifically, cutters, sewers, trimmers, and pressers, “to increase productivity and be able to compete globally” in view of the current lifting of worldwide trade quota elimination.

Under the moratorium law, the CNMI apparel industry is only allowed to keep 15,727 nonresident workers.

Babauta’s bill aims to allow the industry to increase its workforce not more than 50 percent above the 15,727 cap. It also provides that each licensed garment manufacturer can hire additional workers no more than 50 percent of its quota.

Babauta said the policy reform is most needed in view of the lifting of quotas, which, he said, puts great pressure on the local industry’s competitiveness.