Kilili says replacement ATM for Rota coming

Rota residents driving a long way to the island’s only ATM only to find it broken can now heave a sigh of relief.

Bank of Guam is reportedly shipping a replacement unit to the island, according to Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan.

While admitting that ATM problems on the southernmost island of the CNMI is not a federal issue, Sablan said he wants to be the first to announce the good news that Rota residents are not entirely being neglected by Bank of Guam.

“The ATM situation is not really a federal issue. But, of course, I was concerned, so I contacted the Bank of Guam. I understand that they tried to fix the machine, but it is too water-damaged by the typhoon. So the bank has positioned a replacement unit here on Saipan and they are just waiting for the weather to break so it can be shipped to Rota. They are also sending a technician to install the new ATM and, I am told, he is going to stay there until the ATM arrives and is running,” he said in an email to Saipan Tribune yesterday.

The delegate said he deeply sympathizes with the people of Rota on the non-working ATM at the airport.

“It is a shame that there is only one ATM on Rota. It makes the island very vulnerable to this kind of disruption. There used to be a second ATM at the Benjamin T. Manglona International Airport, but I understand that the Commonwealth Ports Authority had the bank remove it to make way for other uses and that the bank was not able to find another secure location.”

He also gave credit to Bank of Guam for its initiative to send a replacement ATM unit to the island.

“Ms. [Denise Tanya] King deserves credit for bringing attention to the ATM problem. But I know that the CEO of the Bank of Guam is married to a woman from Rota and the bank’s CFO is from Rota. So these are not people who will forget Rota. With their quick response on the new machine and sending in a technician they are demonstrating their commitment.”

Sablan said he thinks about the difficulties of life on Rota all the time and what he can do as a delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives to make life better for people there.

“That’s why I worked so hard to get food stamp benefits raised for Rota—by 62 percent—because food is so expensive. That’s why I continue to work on legislation that could lead to a Rota National Park, because we have to provide a permanent and solid basis for Rota’s economy. And I strongly feel that Rota has a great potential for ecotourism.”