Vandals deface Filcom Pavilion

 The Filcom Pavilion next to the Civic Center basketball court in Susupe was recently vandalized with a slew of graffiti.

The words “Go home Filipino” and “illegal fraud terror,” were discovered spray painted on the newly renovated pavilion’s green concrete bench wall facing the road around Sept. 3.

The Filipino Community Foundation Inc. funded the rehabilitation of the pavilion, which had its ribbon cutting ceremony last Jan. 31.

The vandalism comes at a time when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it will publish the long-awaited final regulations governing foreign workers in the CNMI on Sept. 7 EST (Sept. 6 local time).

“The Filipino Community Foundation Inc. feels saddened by this unfortunate incident,” said foundation secretary Eddie Caranzo in a phone interview yesterday, noting that more graffiti were found by their officer on the inside walls of the pavilions benches.

Caranzo said that their group toiled on that project, contributing time, efforts and resources to rehabilitate the pavilion that was originally built in 1978.

“I will convene with other officers of the Filipino Community Foundation Inc., including president Maribel Loste and treasurer Alice Abueme, to talk about our plan of action to address this situation,” he told Saipan Tribune.

Caranzo added that they will report the incident to the Division of Parks and Recreation under the Department of Land and Natural Resources. He noted that the pavilion was endorsed to the division following its renovation.

Julie Cunanan, a former officer of the organization between the late ’80s to early ’90s, said the pavilion was built through the hard work of their officers and members.

“We thought of something we could donate to the Saipan community as a whole and not just the Filipinos,” said Cunanan. The pavilion was constructed “for the use of everyone.”

“I am sad,” said Cunanan. “I think that the mentality of the person/s who wrote that was that the pavilion was solely for Filipinos but it’s not. The way it was written, it was unpleasant.”

Consul General Medardo Macaraig said that although he is disappointed about the vandalism, he believes that it’s not a general sentiment of the local community.

“Of course I’m disappointed. But it does not reflect the general opinion of Chamorros and Carolinians. It should not affect the relationship of our peoples,” said Macaraig in an interview at the free health screening for Filipino workers yesterday.

Bong Malasarte, president of United Filipino Organization, echoed Macaraig’s comment that the graffiti on the pavilion does not reflect the opinion of the entire island.

Malasarte encouraged the Filipino community to focus their time and effort on their respective jobs.

“Let’s not mind these negative comments and just continue to do the best of our abilities with our jobs. What matters is we’re working hard instead of responding to these negative criticisms,” he said.