4 LB staff off to DOI meeting

Four Legislative Bureau staff are among the 32 listed individuals from the government who will be attending the Department of the Interior-organized business conference next week in Honolulu, Hawaii.

What particular role do the bureau directors and staff have in the conference?

“I don’t have any particular role in the conference. My role is to attend the summit there. The leaders will be there so we will meet with the Hawaii Legislature,” said bureau director Joaquin Omar in an interview yesterday.

Aside from Omar, three other bureau staff are set to leave for the Hawaii conference: deputy director Glenna Palacios-Reyes, House legal counsel Jose A. Bermudes, and Senate legislative assistant Eric M. Lister.

Omar said the bureau will fund the travel cost for himself, Palacios-Reyes, and Bermudes only. He said his team will stay in Hawaii until Nov. 18.

The DOI conference will be held at the Waikiki Marriott in Honolulu on Nov. 13 and 14.

“We will attend the [business] conference and our training is up to the 17th. We will return on the 18th,” said Omar. He said this training involves meeting with their counterparts at the State Legislature.

“We will look at the example of the Hawaii State Legislature. We will meet with the staff there. I guess we have to learn right? It’s never too late, I guess,” he said.

In a separate interview, Lister said that his role is to produce materials for distribution to conference participants. He said he is almost finished with the materials.

“It’s something that will be distributed to the attendees of the conference. It’s something that the delegation will be handing out to the investors. I’m almost done with it,” he said yesterday.

Conference delegates from the Legislature include three senators—Pete P. Reyes, Maria Frica Pangelinan, and Paterno Hocog—and three congressmen—Benjamin Seman, Manuel Tenorio, and Absalon Waki Jr.

Overall, the CNMI government delegation consists of 32 members, headed by acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez.

Members include two from the Governor’s Office: press secretary Charles P. Reyes and Finance Secretary Eloy Inos; five from the Commonwealth Ports Authority: executive director Clyde Norita, Saipan seaport manager Lee Cabrera, and board of directors chair Jose Lifoifoi, vice chair Serafin Dela Cruz and member Barbara Yamada.

Four participants are from the Commonwealth Development Authority: Carline Sablan, Winnie Camacho, board chair Vincent Calvo, and member Marcie Tomokane.

Department of Commerce will send Secretary James Santos and division chief Magdalena Camacho.

Public Lands will be represented by Secretary John S. Del Rosario and Margaret Keene.

Marianas Visitors Authority will send board vice chair Marian Aldan-Pierce while Marianas Public Lands Trust will send members John Untalan and Vianey Hocog.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. will be represented by executive director Anthony Guerrero.

The Tinian mayor’s Office will send Phillip Long and Ike Quichocho.

Travel, hotel cost

If all 31 government delegates [minus Yamada who is already in Hawaii on a personal trip] will travel at the low airline fare of about $900 each, their travel will cost the government some $28,000, excluding hotel accommodations.

Based on documents, seven of the delegates will stay at Marriott Waikiki. They are press secretary Reyes, Sen. Reyes, Sen. Pangelinan, CDA’s Tomokane, Commerce’s Camacho, MVA’s Aldan-Pierce, and Tinian’s Long and Quichocho.

Based on its website, Waikiki Beach Marriot Resort & Spa charges $313 to $467 per single, $313 to $467 for twin, $355 to $485 for triple, and $400 to over $500 for quad.

Four will stay at Ala Moana. They are acting Gov. Villagomez, Seaport’s Cabrera, Public Lands’ Keene, and CUC’s Guerrero.

Ala Moana room rates are $160 to $219 for single and twin, $206 to $264 for triple, and $251 to $309 for quad.

Three attendees will be at Ohana West: LB’s Bermudes and Omar as well as Rep. Waki Jr. Ohana West has similar rates as Ala Moana.

Rep. Seman will stay at Ocean Resort while Commerce Secretary Santos is billeted at Outrigger East. Ocean Resort has similar rates to Ohana West while Outrigger East rates are a bit higher.

Other government participants did not specify their hotel accommodation. They may share with others or may have arranged on their own.

From the business sector, conference participants include Saipan Chamber of Commerce vice president Alex Sablan, Chamber director David M. Sablan, Hotel Association of Northern Mariana Islands chairwoman Lyn Knight, Marcia Schultz, and former Judge Timothy Bellas.

The business conference gathers industry experts and regional businesspeople speaking on tourism, tourism and real estate development, infrastructure development, tax incentives, utilities and telecommunications, among other topics.