Tinian Dynasty closure not as a result of Sen. Borja
There has been a lot of misinformation out there about the reason for the closure of the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino. More specifically, Senate President Francisco M. Borja (R-Tinian) has been criticized and subjected to criticisms as being the cause of the closure. Nothing can be farther from the truth. So that we can provide further clarification, let us look at some chain of events as per a press release dated Sept. 7, 2015 that was issued by the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission:
After Tinian Dynasty Casino was raided on April 25, 2013, Mega Stars and Chan came to the TCGCC expressing their desire to invest in the Dynasty. Mega Stars and Chan were told up front that “before they invest in the Dynasty, they must comply with the Gaming Act, they must submit an application for a casino license, they must be found suitable, they must pay required fees and then, only if they meet suitability requirements under the Gaming Act will they be allowed to invest and participate in the casino industry.”
Mega Stars and Chan took over Hong Kong Entertainment where Chan became the president and chairman of HKE.
From July 2013 until April 30, 2014, “Chan refused to submit the needed applications and refused to cooperate.” Mega Stars and Chan submitted an acceptable application on June 2, 2014, but “their application was not complete.”
In the latter part of 2014, the TCGCC learned of the involvement of Chinese Strategic Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries including Tinian Entertainment Company. The TCGCC asked these companies to submit their casino license applications.
In February 2015, Chan informed the TCGCC that “he does not wish to proceed.”
After being accommodated by the TCGCC, these new companies finally submitted their applications in February 2015. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Chinese Strategic Holdings Limited, Tinian Entertainment Company, and Hong Kong Entertainment that requires that the applicants “pay the license application fees, submit any additional documents or information needed, and then the commission will expedite their application and suitability review process.”
All these chain of events along with the largest FinCEN fine ever imposed on a casino led to the closure of the Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino. It was not Senate President Francisco M. Borja’s decision to vote for the Saipan casino that led to the closure. Instead, Borja’s foresight based on his experience and longstanding role as an elected official led him to the decision to vote for the legislation establishing the Saipan casino.
As a result of the passage of the Saipan casino legislation, retiree pensions have been funded, payments for CUC for PSS and CHC are being funded, the government’s overall budget has gone up, especially the municipality of Tinian & Aguiguan with some government departments seeing as much as a 50-percent increase.
People of Tinian and to all on-island and absentee voters of Tinian (Precinct 6), Borja has the years of experience as a former police officer, a former mayor of Tinian, and a long time senator to have the foresight to consider our current economic situation and make a decision, no matter how controversial it may be, to protect our interests.
Republican Party-Tinian
It still escapes common sense how Borja could vote to kill the embryonic casino industry on Tinian now drowning in bankruptcy that started during his charge as mayor, true? Is it painful telling the truth?
No matter how you spin it, the truth would eventually surface.
The truth, nothing but the truth.
Very sad for our people in Tinian. We need leaders who care more about our people than the deep pockets. Enough of the recycle bunch.
With all due respect sir, CPA does not have the authority to designate Tinian as Port of Entry. A “Port of Entry” is an officially designated location (seaports, airports, and or land border locations) where CBP officers or employees are assigned to accept entries of merchandise, clear passengers, collect duties, and enforce the various provisions of CBP and related laws. The following are considered the minimum basic criteria for establishing a port of entry.
The applicant or requesting community must:
Prepare a report that shows how the benefits to be derived justify the Federal Government expense.
Be serviced by at least one other major mode of transportation.
Have a minimum population of 300,000 within the immediate service area (approximately a 70-mile radius).
The actual workload in the area must be one or a combination of the following:
15,000 international air passengers (airport).
2,000 scheduled international arrivals (airport).
2,500 consumption entries (each valued over $2,000), with no more than half being attributed to any one party (airport, seaport, land border port).
350 vessels (seaport)
150,000 vehicles (land border port).
Any appropriate combination of the above. seehttps://www.cbp.gov/trade/trade-community/programs-outreach/ports.
CPA, at the request of the Tinian Leadership, is currently exploring applying for the following program:
User Fee Airport (UFA) Program
A UFA is a small airport which has been approved by the Commissioner of CBP to receive, for a fee, the services of a CBP officer for the processing of aircraft entering the United States and their passengers and cargo. The applicant must meet the following criteria for UFA consideration:
The volume or value of business at the airport is insufficient to justify the availability of inspectional services at such airport on a non-reimbursable basis.
The current Governor of the State in which such airport is located supports such designation in writing to the Commissioner of CBP.
The requestor (e.g. airport authority) agrees to reimburse CBP for all costs associated with the services, including all expenses of staffing a minimum of one full-time inspector.
The requestor completes an Agriculture Compliance Agreement (ACA) with fixed base operators and garbage haulers for handling the international garbage.
The basic steps required in considering an application for designation as an UFA include:
Receipt of a letter from the current Governor of the state supporting the user fee airport designation addressed to the Commissioner.
An initial site visit in which CBP officials discuss workload and services
A final site visit in which CBP officials verify that facilities are 85% complete and adequate for inspectional services to be provided.
A successful site visit in which CBP officials discuss workload and services and verify that facilities are adequate for inspectional services to be provided.
Completing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with CBP, which states the responsibilities, fees and hours of service.
Completing an ACA with CBP for handling international garbage.
An approved UFA receiving CBP services is responsible for payment of the following fees:
Per Inspector – $140,874 for the first year and $123,438 for succeeding years.
ADP costs per inspector – $17,042 to $21,062 (1st year) and $13,620 to $17,640 for succeeding years depending on the location.
Other associated costs such as overtime.