Yumul: IPI in process of repatriating ex-employees

Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC chief executive officer Ray N. Yumul confers with IPI senior vice president of Marketing and Public Affairs Tao Xing during a House Committee on Gaming’s public hearing at the House chamber yesterday. Also in the photo, from left, are Reps. Vicente Camacho (D-Saipan) and Richard Lizama (D-Saipan). (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Ray N. Yumul, the new chief executive officer of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC, appeared before House Gaming Committee yesterday to say that IPI is in the process of repatriating former employees and that he assures that everybody who needs to be paid will be paid.

Speaking at the committee’s public hearing at the House chamber on Capital Hill, Yumul also stated it’s his belief that IPI was basically given unrealistic timetables at the start during the bidding process.

“It should have just been a simple bid—highest bidder takes the license, builds the building,” the former senator said. Yet what happened is that there were all sort of add-ons, he said, such as the community benefit fund that became ridiculous.

Some former foreign workers of IPI also testified at the hearing, saying they have not been paid, there is no power and water at the place where they are staying, and they just want to go home.

One of the workers, Derick Lim, who is a Malaysian national, said he resigned from IPI last July as VIP marketing as it was the only way he believed he could get his salary. Lim said he actually has illegal immigration status now because his CW permit expired last Sept. 30. “I really hope that something can be done,” Lim said.

Arnel Gruspe, who said he is a long-term nonresident worker in the CNMI, worked for IPI for three and a half years with the Information Technology Department. He said IPI should be taking care of them but, instead, he feels that they were “thrown under the bus.”

Another Malaysian national, Ron Kim Kong Lim, said he worked with IPI as a table games manager and that he was furloughed since March 2020. “We decided to resign because we cannot stay forever,” Lim said.

He said he just wants his salary paid and be given a plane ticket to go home.

Lim said he does not even know if IPI has realized that some former employees like him are still on the island.

He said he’s staying at Vestcor and that they don’t have power for two months now.

“We have family back home,” said Lim, adding that, without payments or money, they cannot go home and face their family.

“The management is just playing with our lives,” he said.

Joseph Chin Kok Seng, also a Malaysian national who used to work as table and games or pit manager and first came in 2015, said he resigned in June 2020 because he wants to go home.

Seng said his CW permit expired last September and that he does not know if he is illegal or not. “Nobody cares. We’re abandoned,” he said, adding that he and others have not received a penny as IPI had promised them many times.

A concerned citizen, Fabian Indalecio, said he is embarrassed with what is happening to the islands. Indalecio said these foreign workers shouldn’t have to beg to be paid for their work.

He said all government agencies involved and even the lawmakers should find solutions to help these abandoned workers. “This is so inhumane. Give them attention,” Indalecio said.

Speaking at the hearing, Yumul said millions and millions of dollars were spent on all sorts of non-construction activities that could have been used to build the Imperial Pacific Resort much more quickly than where it is now today.

“So it is a struggle,” he said, adding that he remembers as he was a member of the House at that time when IPI first came in, stating they want to do business here and asked what do they need to do.

Yumul asked the lawmakers to do their legislative research with every file going back to the Saipan casino industry’s inception as it is extremely important. “You’re going to see how IPI went from a promising industry to a struggling one today,” he said.

The CEO said he believes IPI is currently involved in 35 active court cases. That ties him up in litigation and, instead of giving him leeway to figure out a salvage plan for IPI, he is busy attending court hearings. “Just this week, I’ve been in court the most I’ve ever in my entire life. And I’m still going to the court,” he said.

As to the question why he is serving as IPI’s CEO, Yumul said he is here to help clean up IPI and get them back on track. He said it’s a big challenge, but that he is optimistic and that he is going to ask for legislative support.

Yumul said just like all the other businesses, IPI went through two super typhoons and now the COVID-19 pandemic, and that really severely hamstrung IPI.

When Gov. Ralph DLG Torres ordered the closure of all businesses because of the pandemic, that basically crippled IPI, Yumul said.

At this point, he said, it’s safe to say that when they request for financial support, it comes from IPI’s mother company in Hong Kong.

“And it comes on a case-by-case basis. The [federal] courts knows this. The judge knows this,” Yumul said.

He said the priority is for the hardworking staff that, unfortunately, are in dire straits. The CEO assured that he is going to take care of all current and former staff.

Yumul disclosed that they have housing facilities for the staff that have been reopened and that these were all constructed following the guidelines set forth within the CNMI’s own regulatory bodies and policies, the Department of Public Works, and the federal standards.

He said IPI is not in violation of those standards when the housing facilities were constructed.

Yumul said the lack of power and water at a housing is a financial issue.

He assured that with respect to other IPI housing facilities, the power and water supply will not go out.

The CEO said he is coming up with a way to restructure IPI’s operation.

Right now, the casino is technically ready to reopen, he said. “We just don’t have the financial ability to reopen it yet. I know there is a plan in place,” Yumul said. Once funding is ready, he said, they will look at staffing to see which key employees are available to work.

He said the Commonwealth Casino Commission will make the final determination whether the casino is ready to reopen.

The CEO said he is aware that a lot of the key employees had already left and that’s a big challenge to IPI.

On the issue of repatriation, Yumul said IPI chairwoman Cui Li Jie is involved in ensuring payments to these affected people and their repatriation as soon as the borders open up. “For example Malaysia. It’s impossible to fly into Malaysia. Same thing with Australia, Italy. I’m not sure about Turkey,” he said.

He said that over the years IPI had one primary CEO, and that person is no longer with the company. Yumul said then they had another one that just lasted barely seven months.

“Coming from being here, born and raised, and also a former member of the Legislature,” Yumul said he is concerned.

House Gaming Committee chair Rep. Edwin K. Propst (D-Saipan) later asked Yumul if any other IPI employees would be testifying at the hearing aside from him and IPI senior vice president of Public Affairs Tao Xing. Yumul replied they will be the only ones at the hearing because of U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona’s order that prevented staff from being employed or being on the job.

“We are only allowed to have a skeleton crew, basically HR and finance. That since been clarified, I believe, this morning, and we’re allowed to bring back additional staff to the office except for construction.”

He said security is still in place, and the cooks and chefs are working to provide meals for the staff, both current and former.