Marvin B. Seman, a father of two, has been dropping by the post office in Chalan Kanoa almost every day for the past few weeks, hoping to see his and his wife\u2019s 2010 tax rebate and refund checks in the mail to help supplement their income, especially during the holidays, but he comes home always disappointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about $800 but that would be a big help. We could have spent it for Christmas gifts. I am totally disappointed,\u201d Seman told Saipan Tribune after checking his mailbox at the post office once again. <\/p>\n
Seman said he hopes in 2012, the government would keep their promises. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, they said they will release checks on time then later on they said some won\u2019t get their checks until next year but will continue to release checks. My family had to cut budget for the New Year\u2019s Eve dinner. No firecrackers this year. We were also depending on the rebate checks to pay our other bills. I have to work myself to death just to keep up with the payments and buy at least gifts for my children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said he will come back again to the post office today, still hoping to have something in the mail.<\/p>\n
\u201c2012 is now knocking on the door but we don\u2019t have our 2010 checks year. If the delay continues, then maybe our economic situation will be worse next year,\u201d added Seman, a government employee.<\/p>\n
But if it\u2019s any consolation, critical and non-critical government employees\u2014mostly receiving 16-hour cuts biweekly because of austerity measures\u2014got their paychecks yesterday, in time for the New Year revelry.<\/p>\n
During this time last year, hundreds of locally funded government employees welcomed the New Year without receiving their paychecks.<\/p>\n
Tata C., mother of a teen son, said outright: \u201cI think the CNMI economy will get worse in 2012. We are not yet stable\u2014our economy and our immigration. Businesses have higher costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said government salary has not been increased while other benefits such as holiday pay and night differential have been cut, and health insurance premium has gone up, along with the cost of food and other consumer goods.<\/p>\n
As for welcoming the New Year, she said her household would only spend a few dollars on firecrackers. \u201cThat\u2019s only to satisfy my son\u2019s curiosity. After dinner, we will just watch the fireworks in Garapan,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Despite the hardships of the past year and a harder year ahead, Tata C. said those working in government \u201cshould be thankful that at least they still have a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Press secretary Angel Demapan said the Fitial administration is hopeful that 2012 \u201cwill bring much needed improvements and revenues.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, it is also cognizant that maximum progress can only be achieved through concerted efforts with the Legislature. We will continue to work toward attracting serious and committed investors to do business in the Commonwealth. Ultimately, the administration\u2019s wish is to reach a point where the austerity measures can be either reduced or lifted so that families can increase their earnings. But to get there, it will take a lot of work and cooperation by our elected leaders,\u201d Demapan said.<\/p>\n
Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP), for his part, said he prays that the CNMI sees some improvements in 2012, \u201cbut I cannot predict that the Northern Mariana Islands will completely emerge from our economic doldrums.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I can promise is that I shall continue to work hard to bring as much help as I can to our people and islands. What I can promise is that where Congress can help, I will make sure that it does,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
House Ways and Means Committee chair Ray Basa (Cov-Saipan) said while he wants to be optimistic, he also needs to be \u201crealistic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a small island. You see businesses closing. That\u2019s a sign that resources will further go down,\u201d Basa said.<\/p>\n
He said exacerbating the problem is \u201coverspending.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re talking about $20 million deficit or overspending, for example, then isn\u2019t that a violation of the constitution because we don\u2019t have a balanced budget anymore. So $102 million is not a balanced budget. And maybe next year\u2019s budget will be a lot less than $100 million,\u201d Basa said.<\/p>\n
Douglas Brennan, president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, said while he can\u2019t speak on behalf of the whole Chamber as of yet, at least for Microl Corp. he hopes a \u201cstatus quo\u201d in 2012 or \u201cbetter than 2011.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it will be a struggle,\u201d said Brennan, manager of Microl Corp., which is the authorized dealer of Toyota vehicles in the CNMI.<\/p>\n
He said Microl was hit by factors beyond their control, including the earthquake and tsunami in Japan that impacted their supply.<\/p>\n
Brennan said federal tax will be a problem in 2012. He also hopes that the local and federal government will be able to agree on issues related to private sector workforce.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see anything on the horizon, or any influx in airline seats in 2012\u2026 The headache is\u2026 there\u2019s no plan of attack to attract investors. And everybody does their own thing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mike Elayda, a foreign worker in the CNMI for nine years, said he was hoping to get his federal stimulus and rebate check in the mail before the end of the year but there\u2019s none.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re expecting almost $1,000. We would have used it to supplement our budget, buy food, buy some gifts, and prepare for media noche [midnight supper),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Elayda, who was at the post office in Chalan Kanoa along with his wife and children, said the whole family needs to be more practical that they had to cut by 50 percent their budget for welcoming the New Year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to hold on to our dollars. We don\u2019t know whether our CW will be granted. And even if the CW is granted, we still have to be mindful of the future. Maybe 2012 economy will be worse than it already is. There is smaller population, less revenue for businesses,\u201d the father of three said.<\/p>\n
Rene Reyes, president of the Marianas Advocates for Humanitarian Affairs Ltd. or MAHAL, said while it\u2019s not a bad thing to \u201chope,\u201d long-term aliens who still cannot find legal jobs \u201cshould not hope too much on HR 1466.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHope if you must but be prepared as well if HR 1466 does not pass. Make good use of the one-year parole to prepare for the worst. Be thankful for Delegate Kilili for trying to help people, and for asking a one-year parole,\u201d said Reyes, who has been on Saipan for 22 years. <\/p>\n
He also said people should also consider better opportunities outside the CNMI.<\/p>\n
John Jugos, a private sector employee, said it\u2019s not even 2012 and he already sees his own paycheck getting leaner.<\/p>\n
\u201cFICA taxes is already deducted from my paycheck\u2026About $28 a month,\u201d he said, adding that this money could have gone to his grocery shopping.<\/p>\n
J.Y.S., a resident of As Lito, said she and the people close to her will welcome the New Year in a \u201cquiet and solemn but meaningful\u201d way.<\/p>\n
The As Lito resident, who asked that her initials be used instead, said she will be attending the Saturday night Mass, especially because Father Ryan Jimenez is back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pray for the people and the CNMI. I pray that people will change their attitude towards each other and love each other,\u201d said JYS, as she went grocery shopping at the Joeten Supermarket in Susupe. She said she will be preparing boiled corn and salmon.<\/p>\n
The CNMI government\u2019s $102-million budget shrunk to nearly the same level as it was 22 fiscal years ago. Government budget peaked at $247 million in fiscal year 1997. It has since been almost downhill although Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos said there are some \u201cpositive signs\u201d for next year including a new airline and prospective investors in Marpi.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least it tells you that people are still interested in investing,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n
If federal immigration concerns do not taper off in 2012, businesses and employees will continue to experience uncertainty that will spill over to economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can only hope for the best in 2012,\u201d said MAHAL\u2019s Reyes. <\/p>\n
Besides a dismal economy, federal immigration uncertainties, high cost of fuel, shipping and consumer goods, and a shrinking population and consumer base, the CNMI also has to deal with its dying retirement system, improve its health services, prioritize public safety, generate additional revenues and survive another midterm election in 2012. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Marvin B. Seman, a father of two, has been dropping by the post office in Chalan Kanoa almost every day for the past few weeks, hoping to see his and his wife\u2019s 2010 tax rebate and refund checks in the mail to help supplement their income, especially during the holidays, but he comes home always disappointed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-157779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157779\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}