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Still waiting to be paid
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Posted on Apr 12 2019
It was a difficult time after the storm and all available resources were called to help in the recovery, manpower, and especially heavy equipment to remove debris, clear roads, easements, and deliver resources to fix damaged property like power poles and lines.
My small company, like so many others, rented one piece of heavy equipment to Rene Batallones of Motion Automotive Repair Center so that he could service his own contract on Tinian but he did not honor his contract and paid less than half the amount he owed me for my boom truck.
During the recovery, the government made sure that companies did not take advantage of the urgent need for goods and services but small companies also needed that protection because there are unscrupulous operators who promise to pay you a certain price, take your property for his use, make money and then pay you less than half of what you are owed.
As I understand things, Mr. Batallones has already been paid by the U.S. contractors who came to the island to fix our infrastructure. For the future, it is important for American companies to know what kind of people they are contracting to provide these important services. I think they would want to hire companies that get the job done well and pay subcontractors who make it possible for Mr. Batallones to perform his contract.
It is important for the people of the Commonwealth to know that he has not honored his commitment to me and still owes over half of the large sum he has received from his American company, paid for with FEMA money. When he returned my equipment from Tinian, it needed repairs plus I lost the money I could have earned on Saipan had I used the equipment.
People are complaining about exorbitant charges for towing fees charged to cars from Garapan and it is important for the public to know that Mr. Batallones’s company has the exclusive towing contract from the government. The pubic has a right to know the terms of his contract with Mr. Batallones to make sure he is honoring its terms.
Waheed Nawaz
Zaid Enterprises
Heavy Equipment Rental & Other Services
