‘Don’t have false hopes’

The Philippine Consulate General cautioned the Filipino community in the CNMI not to have “false hopes” in the wake of a lawsuit that seeks to suspend the implementation of the CNMI-only Transitional Worker final rule.

“We understand where they’re coming from. But until the courts say otherwise, let’s warn the people not to rely on that so as not to create false hopes,” said Consul General Medardo Macaraig when asked for comment on the issue.

Seven individuals, including five long-term Filipino workers, filed in federal court on Thursday a lawsuit to stop federal officials from implementing the final rule, released last Sept. 7, which they described as “unlawful.”

The final rule goes into effect on Nov. 28, 2011.

The complainants are Bonifacio V. Sagana, president of Dekada Movement, who has worked in the CNMI for 22 years and has US. citizen children; Gerardo G. De Guzman, who has worked as an accountant in the CNMI for 22 years and has U.S. citizen children; Hector T. Sevilla, who has worked as an architect in the CNMI for 22 years and has U.S. citizen children; Carlito J. Marquez, a mechanical engineering technologist who has been working in the CNMI for 14 years; and Eduardo M. Elenzano, an award-winning artist who has worked in the CNMI for 23 years and has U.S. citizen children.

The other two are Manuel T. Vilaga, a U.S. citizen with a small-scale contracting business on Saipan, and Jong Ho Lee, a U.S. permanent resident who is engaged in a small-scale business and is the current president of the Korean Community on Saipan.

The plaintiffs said the implementation of the CW final rule unduly prejudices foreign workers and business owners due to the short period by which it was released and implemented. It also runs counter to the “orderly phasing-out of the nonresident contract worker program of the Commonwealth” as mandated by Congress.

“That’s their prerogative,” Macaraig told Saipan Tribune. “Of course, we understand their point of view that there’s a very short period of time within which we’ll have to adjust to the new system. After all, they only recently released the final rule. But as I said, we leave it up to the courts.”

Macaraig urged the Filipino community not to rely just yet on the outcome of this lawsuit.

“There’s no assurance that it will get approved by the court so don’t keep your hopes up. Don’t rely on that because unless the courts decide otherwise, we’re status quo. Let’s just respect each other’s point of view,” he added.