FLASHBACK

MAY 10, 2005

POWER PLANT RUNS OUT OF FUEL

Power outages hit Garapan and other villages after the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s power plant in Puerto Rico ran out of fuel yesterday morning. Capitol Hill, Kagman, and other villages connected to CUC’s Feeder 4 experienced a power interruption from 10:30am to 10:45am. As soon as the power went back on the Feeder 4 areas, CUC turned Feeder 2 offline. This caused almost three hours of power outage in Garapan and Chalan Laulau, down to the San Jose stoplight on Beach Road.

‘REPATRIATION REQUESTS GOING UP’

More and more nonresident workers who have lost their jobs due to closures and downsizing in the local garment industry are getting interested in returning to their home country, according to federal ombudsman Jim Benedetto. But he was quick to add that majority of the former garment workers still want to remain on island and seek new employment. Citing his day-to-day dealings with garment workers visiting the Federal Ombudsman’s Office, Benedetto said that the workers could be divided into several groups.

MAY 10, 2004

GOVT: $33M IN CUC OVERCHARGE

The CNMI government claimed Friday that the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. has been overcharging government offices by over $33 million for its water usage in the last 10 years. Also, the CUC, despite the implementation of rate adjustment in 1997 for electrical consumption, the utility corporation had in fact overcharged the CNMI government by another $9.1 million, it said. In a letter to CUC executive director Lorraine Babauta, Finance Secretary Fermin Atalig said the validity of water readings provided by the CUC is questionable since most of the government agencies do not receive 24-hour water service.

FILIPINO WORKERS RALLY VS PROPOSED LABOR BILL

Dozens of Filipino workers yesterday assembled near a Garapan restaurant owned by the family of Rep. Ray Yumul to oppose a measure the lawmaker had introduced that aims to implement major changes in the Nonresident Workers Act. The workers scored certain provisions in Yumul’s House Bill 14-142 or the Alien Workers Act of 2004, which seeks in part to limit alien workers’ stay in the CNMI even if they have pending labor or court claims. All members of the House except for Rep. Janet Maratita have signed the bill.

MAY 10, 2003

ALL PRISON ROOMS OCCUPIED

Several convicted felons who have been sentenced to jail are being denied entry into the Division of Corrections facility to serve their respective prison term-a situation that has caught the attention of Superior Court judges. In a telephone call from Hawaii, Associate Judge David A. Wiseman disclosed that close to 10 convicts whom he had meted out imprisonment terms were refused entry at the corrections facility due to overcrowding. This number does not include other felons sentenced to jail by the other judges, Wiseman said. The problem has been happening for almost a year now.

ELECTION PREPARATIONS IN FULL SWING

Board of Elections Executive Director Gregorio Sablan said yesterday that the agency is moving smoothly with preparations for the November polls, noting that some 4,577 voters have already registered as of Thursday. “We don’t foresee any major problems. We’re just waiting for candidates right now to get certified and we’re waiting for any initiative that may come out of the Legislature,” Sablan told reporters yesterday.

MAY 10, 2002

NMI DOING AN AMERICAN SAMOA

Gov. Juan N. Babauta has confirmed that his office has already sent a letter to Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio, expressing the administration’s support for the adoption of an American Samoa-style tiered wage system in the CNMI. In an interview yesterday, Babauta said he has already sent the letter of support that Tenorio was asking for. “In fact, I’ve also spoken to the Washington Representative and we’re soliciting letters of support as well from the Legislature and the business community,” he said.