6 lawmakers’ trip paid for by Taiwan govt

The Taiwanese government, through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam, paid for the Taipei trip of six lawmakers led by House Speaker Eli Cabrera (R-Saipan) and Senate President Paul Manglona (Ind-Rota), who are now back in the CNMI.

The trip enabled three senators and three House members to visit facilities focused on research and development, agriculture, tourism, and trade “from which the CNMI can learn from and benefit,” they said.

They said they also met with key Taiwan government and private sector officials who could help the CNMI in its own economic development.

Besides Cabrera and Manglona, the four others who went to Taiwan were Rep. Ralph Demapan (Cov-Saipan), Rep. Joseph Palacios (R-Saipan), Sen. Ralph Torres (R-Saipan), and Sen. Frank Cruz (R-Tinian).

Palacios and another lawmaker who was also part of the group separately dismissed allegations that their all-expense paid trip violates ethics rules and other statutes.

Palacios said even before he accepted the invitation, he contacted the Office of the Public Auditor for guidance on whether participating in the trip will violate ethics and other laws. He said an OPA official told him that it won’t, “as long as we don’t make any promises” to anyone.

Another lawmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity said OPA had previously told him the same, adding that as long as lawmakers do not pass legislation that will benefit a particular company or entity and that they disclose the trip to the public, then there is no ethical violation for accepting the invitation.

He also said that the Taiwan trip was paid for by the Taiwanese government, not by a private investor on Taiwan.

Public Auditor Michael Pai, when asked for comment, said, “OPA would need to analyze all the pertinent facts before commenting.”

He also said “OPA has not received any complaints on this matter.”

Palacios and the other lawmaker said the trip was an “eye opener,” considering that the CNMI could learn from Taiwan’s successes in research and technological advances. They said Taiwan officials also said they will help promote travel to the CNMI among Taiwanese tourists.

“The trip is really worthwhile. In the area of agriculture, for example, they make use of every available land to plant crops. An average farmer there makes $28,000 a year, and the agriculture industry alone earns over $11 billion a year. If the CNMI could only apply Taiwan’s agricultural know-how here, even a portion of that industry would help grow our economy,” Palacios told Saipan Tribune.

The other lawmaker said Taiwan officials are also planning to send a team of researchers and other officials to the CNMI to see what the islands have and make recommendations as to how to make use of those resources for economic development.

Palacios and the other lawmaker said the visit to Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute opened their eyes to Taiwan’s level of technological advancement.

ITRI is a nonprofit research and development organization engaged in applied research and technical services. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a role in transforming Taiwan’s economy from a labor-intensive industry to a high-tech industry, its website says.

“One of the products they developed is turning animal manure into coffee. They also turn computer paper into a speaker system. These are just among the products they researched on and developed. It’s an eye-opener,” the other lawmaker said.

Of the six lawmakers who made the trip, the four others didn’t return calls as of press time.

Palacios and the other lawmaker who granted interview said the trip was arranged by Taiwan’s consul general to Guam, the CNMI, and the Federated States of Micronesia, Paul P.S. Wang and Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wang is director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam.

The CNMI lawmakers met with Taiwan Council of Agriculture consular Ming Lai Wang, as well as Richard Tsai, a member of the Advisory Committee on Taiwan External Trade Development Council.

They also met with Bruce Linghu, director general of Taiwan’s Department of North American Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former ambassador to the Marshall Islands.

The CNMI team also met with Sophia Yeh, general secretary for Taiwan Visitors Association.

One of the CNMI lawmakers said they also met with Mark Tsui, assistant manager for China Airlines’ International Affairs Department under Corporate Development; Chang-Ren Sei, vice president of Taiwan Power Co.; Helen Hwang, commercial section chief of the American Institute in Taiwan.

“We will connect our Marianas Visitors Authority’s Perry Tenorio with the officials we met on Taiwan who are knowledgeable about tourism. China Airlines could plan direct flight to Saipan. This is just one of the partnerships we could develop to benefit the whole of CNMI,” the lawmaker said.

The CNMI lawmakers also met with Taichung City Government Deputy Mayor Chia-Chi Hsiao and some city council members.

“So overall, we met with key people in agriculture, tourism, trade, airline, research and development, high-technology industries,” one of the lawmakers said.

The senators left the CNMI ahead of the House members. The official trip to Taiwan was from Feb. 15 to 18. The lawmakers returned to the CNMI on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial is in the U.S. for a series of meetings and events in California and Washington, D.C. He won’t be back until March 5.