9 years ago and 156 labor cases later

It was nine years ago today in 1997, when I initially started opposing the ineffective and contradicting rules and regulations of the Department of Labor (or as I love to call it, Department of Favors). And during that same period I frequently emphasized that the organization was managed and operated in a manner wherein internal processes and procedures were being addressed in direct conflict with existing mandates. Combine this fiasco with internal corruption and various under-the-table perks and what takes place is genuine Mondovi screw-ups surrounding delayed processing of essential employment documents, substandard investigations as a result of inexperienced investigators, taxpayer dollars being wasted to investigate certain officials for questionable conduct and behavior in the performance of their duties and, yes of course, extreme backlogs of undressed labor complaints.

Interestingly, certain officials openly claimed back then in 1997 that they were not incompetent, preferring to identify themselves as being in the big leagues of professionals. Here we are, nine years ago today, and 156 unsolved complaints later, not to include the most recent submissions, and still their performance to date has only resulted in little progress, if any. Now ask yourselves this question: Can we actually categorize these officials as problem-solvers or leaders after nine years of inaction resulting in a backlog of unresolved labor complaints? Because true problem-solvers and leaders possess the ability to accomplish their objectives by utilizing the least amount of effort, to produce the maximum amount of results, in a minimal amount of time. And despite any lack of funding, manpower, or procedural red-tape, genuine leaders learn to adapt to varying circumstances and situation so as to accomplish their objectives in a timely manner, rather than ending up with 156 unresolved labor complaints.

Now comes the Deputy Secretary of Labor publicly admitting in the newspaper dated May 3, 2006, that a team has been formed to address old labor cases dating as far back as 1997. This is a prime example that solidifies what I’ve been talking about since 1997 with respect to my previous letters surrounding lack of strict enforcement and control on the part of the Department of Favors. And for the Deputy Secretary to also admit that the department will now be in the “action mode,” primarily because the governor emphasized that “it’s now time for action” indicates that even the governor believes that there had been serious problems with not just this organization, but others as well.

Nevertheless, the Department of Favors is now finally waking up after years of inaction to realize the actual reality of their internal dilemma that affects the whole of the Commonwealth. Then again, why would this knowledge be a focal point of interest to anyone right? The fact is, there are countless other local residents in the Commonwealth who truly believe that some officials within the Department of Labor are truly corrupt, and who have actually contributed more to compounding our labor problems rather than solve them. More importantly, they are nothing but severe wasters of taxpayers’ money, doing nothing more than just wait for their retirement date to appear, so they can enjoy the benefits of a pension without truly earning it. But we can only blame ourselves for such dilemmas because we had allowed it for years, just as we allowed our government to enact a Labor statute that is primarily tailored for foreign nationals while depriving our own local residents of the same or similar protection.

Only in the Commonwealth can one truly experience the reality of actually screwing-up on the job and still move up within our government. This system is known as the “protection through connection” system, a process by which selected or favored individuals obtain government employment not because of what they know but rather as a result of who they know. And when this takes place, one can in fact screw up and actually still be upgraded, such as what had taken place with certain officials within the department.

Jack Terlaje Quitugua
Garapan, Saipan