{"id":285296,"date":"2018-09-25T06:06:09","date_gmt":"2018-09-24T20:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=285296"},"modified":"2018-09-25T06:06:09","modified_gmt":"2018-09-24T20:06:09","slug":"ipi-okd-to-run-mariana-resort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/ipi-okd-to-run-mariana-resort\/","title":{"rendered":"IPI OK\u2019d to run Mariana Resort"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC\u00a0Special Projects senior vice president Viola Alepuyo, left, explains certain parts of their request to Commonwealth Lottery Commission member Larrisa Larson and chair Mark Rabauliman in yesterday\u2019s meeting at the Office of the Governor\u2019s conference room on Capital Hill. (Jon Perez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[embedyt] https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2F1TKxQig_E&width=500&height=350[\/embedyt]<\/p>\n

Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC is set to take over the management of the Mariana Resort & Spa after the Commonwealth Lottery Commission approved its request to run the hotel in yesterday\u2019s meeting on Capital Hill.<\/p>\n

In particular, IPI was approved to operate Mariana Resort as a less than a four- or five-star property.<\/p>\n

This was part of the request the company submitted to the commission last month. That request included an extension on the deadline to build the initial gaming facility in Garapan, which was approved, and allowing IPI to open the planned integrated resort in phases; the commission still has to discuss that at its next meeting.<\/p>\n

CLC chair Mark Rabauliman said that yesterday\u2019s meeting was to discuss if they would allow IPI\u2019s request to operate Mariana Resort and the surrounding facilities of the Marpi property that included the Olympic-size swimming pool and golf course.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s meeting was relating to he items that were tabled during our Aug. 30 meeting. The items that were tabled was allowing them to operate the Mariana Resort & Spa under a four-star conditions as was stated in the [casino license agreement]. The other one was allowing them to open, when they get their land lease and start building the integrated resort, in phases,\u201d said Rabauliman.<\/p>\n

However, the commission eventually only decided to allow the company to take over the operations of the Mariana Resort & Spa and put all other matters back on the table for further discussion.<\/p>\n

Rabauliman said the close to three-hour long meeting yesterday focused much of the discussion on IPI\u2019s accountability. \u201cWe want to make sure that both parties, in this case the Lottery Commission and IPI, are on the same page in terms of the proposed language.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt all boils down to making sure that it does not prevent them from operating an integrated resort lower than what is required. That\u2019s why we wanted to make sure, every time we\u2019re talking about it, the property up north that we\u2019re referring to is Mariana Resort & Spa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Rabauliman likened the agreement to an owner of a building that hired an individual to manage or run the facility but does not own the property. \u201cThat is only management that they will be doing or maintaining whatever level they are at.\u201d<\/p>\n

IPI will take over managing the property on\u00a0Oct. 1\u00a0after Kan Pacific Saipan ceases its operations on\u00a0Sept. 30. But CLC and IPI must also first sign the contract on or before the end of the month.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be more comfortable for both parties once the agreement is signed. Right now, we\u2019re giving them [IPI] authority [to manage] verbally,\u201d said Rabauliman, who met with CLC legal counsel Chris Timmons after the meeting to begin drafting the new contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce finalized, the only thing left is the circulation of the signatures. Both parties need to agree with the language. The specific language is for the operations of the Mariana Resort & Spa. That\u2019s basically the entire operations with the pool and other facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amenable to CLC\u2019s decision<\/strong><\/p>\n

IPI Special Projects senior vice president Viola Alepuyo said they are amenable to CLC\u2019s decision. That referred to authorizing IPI to take over the operations of Marianas Resort.<\/p>\n

Lottery commissioner Robert Guerrero said: \u201cSept. 30\u00a0is approaching and I grew up in San Roque. I know a lot of workers there [Mariana Resort & Spa]. I\u2019m concerned for their livelihood. I don\u2019t see what\u2019s the issue on authorizing IPI to continue the [Mariana Resort] operations while they are building [the integrated resort],\u201d said Guerrero.<\/p>\n

Alepuyo asked for a short recess to consult with IPI general counsel Phil Tydingco about Guerrero\u2019s concern. She then informed the commission, once the meeting resumed, that they are amenable to helping the more than 100 employees of Mariana Resort that would be affected if it shuts down on\u00a0Sept. 30.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are amenable to that, only because we don\u2019t want the almost 100 people out there who will lose their jobs if Mariana Resort & Spa closes down and we don\u2019t want the community to lose out on the pool.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made it clear, in our response to the [request for proposal] to DPL, we said that if we were awarded the RFP and Marianas Resort & Spa is still in operations, then all employees will be absorbed by IPI. [Be]cause I know that was also a concern raised by DPL. We made it clear on both RFPs that we\u2019re going to absorb the employees if they are willing to work for IPI,\u201d added Alepuyo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[embedyt] https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2F1TKxQig_E&width=500&height=350[\/embedyt] Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC is set to take over the management of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":285324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[6872,16531,12497,3077],"class_list":["post-285296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","tag-clc","tag-commonwealth-lottery-commission","tag-ipi","tag-mariana-resort-spa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285296","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\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}