CNMI community unites for Fiji relief drive

Members of the Talofa Dancers, 2015 Liberation Day Queen Zolenska Yaroitemal, third left, 2016 Liberation Day committee member Rose Hocog, second right, and Northern Marianas Athletics official Robin Sapong do their share in helping last Saturday’s Fiji relief drive. (Jon Perez)

Members of the community, despite still reeling from the devastation brought by Typhoon Soudelor last year, joined hands in doing their share to help Fiji that also sustained heavy damage after being hit by Cyclone Winston more than two months ago.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said he understand Fiji’s situation with “the hardships associated with a powerful storm as we experience in Soudelor. Unfortunately, Fiji cannot depend on federal resources and must depend on the generosity of the world and the Pacific island communities.”

A small Fijian community, less than 10, remains on Saipan most of whom are working as midwives at the Commonwealth Health Care Corp. Before there were more than 30 midwives at CHC.

“They were the ones who helped in giving birth to a generation here on Saipan and it is now time to give back from the service they gave. Most of them went back to Fiji once their contracts expired,” said KKMP’s Gary Sword, one of the organizers of the relief drive.

The KKMP Foundation, of former representative Rosemund Santos, is one of the lead groups in the relief drive along with the Lady Diann Foundation, the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Pacific Century Fellows-Marianas Chapter, Typhoon Maysak Group (Yap and Chuuk), the Marianas Young Professionals, the Saipan Filipino-American Lions Club, and the Saipan Marianas Lion’s Club.

Kyowa, through their agent Saipan Shipping, lent a 40-foot container that will be used to ship for free the clothes, cases of water, emergency supplies, and other daily essentials to Fiji. It will take more than a month before the container reaches Fiji.

“There are a lot of generous people here in the community. We are hoping to raise $10,000 but whatever cash we collected, we’re going to put in a cashiers check and give it to the proper authorities in Fiji,” said Sword, whose father is from Fiji.

He added that close to $3,000 was already collected as of Saturday afternoon not including the $1,000 each given by Best Sunshine International, Ltd., and KKMP Foundation, and $500 from Bridge Capital. Cash donations will still be accepted at the KKMP radio station at the Cabrera Center until May 3.

Personnel and cadets of the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services also held a boot drive in four intersections on Saipan last March 31.

Rep. Joseph Lee Pan Guerrero (R-Saipan) also donated clothes and cases of water, saying that his is the CNMI’s way of helping another island community. “It’s just helping one island to another.”

“After all they went through from Cyclone Winston and the flooding, it really hurts to see them suffer. This is the CNMI’s way of giving back in any way that we can,” Guerrero added.

SFALC, PCF, last year’s Liberation Day Queen Zolenska Yaroitemal and candidates for this year’s Royal Court, the Talofa Dancers, and Northern Marianas Athletics official Robin Sapong—a native of Chuuk—helped in last Saturday’s relief drive.

Cyclone Winston, a Category 5, was the strongest to hit Fiji killing 44 people and displacing more than 300,000. Winston either damaged or destroyed close to 55,000 homes forcing more than 90,000 Fijians to live in 300 shelters.