IPI working to beat deadline to rebury ancestral remains

The entire construction team of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC is working double time to rebury hundreds of ancestral remains that were dug up at the Garapan site, according Eric Poon, IPI’s assistant vice president of construction.

In response to Commonwealth Casino Commission commissioner Ramon Dela Cruz’s inquiry at a recent CCC board meeting about the status of the ancestral remains, Poon said they recently sent some information to the commission, including the “architect and engineering” design of the project.

“We have our engineers looking at the design,” said Poon, who acknowledged that the issue of the bones is sensitive to the indigenous community.

He said they have a deadline to complete the project, including a ceremony, this July.

Poon said they are hoping that the Historic Preservation Office, which has been assisting IPI in this project, will open soon because IPI has been calling and sending emails to them about it. The plan is for HPO and IPI to move the remains from one of IPI’s warehouses in Lower Base back to the casino-resort site in Garapan, he said.

Poon said they need to confirm some items with HPO. One, he said, it was first agreed that the bones will be kept in a vault and placed in a pit that is 6 meters by 6 meters square. Now HPO is talking about possibly increasing the size of the pit to 8 meters by 8 meters square, Poon said. He said their A&E was submitted to HPO for review.

Joe Reyes, whose term as CCC commissioner had just expired, said at the meeting that he’s embarrassed that his term has already expired but the remains are still not back at the site. “I compliment your team for taking the project right now,” Reyes told Poon.