‘Not a good time to throw in the towel’

Commonwealth Casino Commission board chair Edward C. DeLeon Guerrero presides over their regular monthly meeting in the CCC conference room at the Springs Plaza Building in Gualo Rai yesterday morning. CCC’s office has been closed starting on Jan. 19, 2023, as all employees were terminated due to lack of funding. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Commonwealth Casino Commission board chair Edward C. DeLeon Guerrero said yesterday that now is not a good time to throw in CCC’s towel as they are in the middle of mediation and litigation with Saipan casino licensee, Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC.

This developed as assistant attorney general Keisha Blaise, counsel for the CCC, informed the board members yesterday that the arbitration with IPI is scheduled for May 23, 2023 in Honolulu.

On Aug. 24, 2022, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona issued an order to allow IPI to pursue its right to arbitration. She ordered CCC to participate in the arbitration process.

Arbitration is essentially a procedure wherein two parties agree on one or more arbitrators to make a decision in their dispute to resolve a disagreement outside of court proceedings.

DeLeon Guerrero also expressed hope that the CCC will have an opportunity to have an open and honest discussion with Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, and with new members of both the Senate and House of Representatives, about the casino gaming industry itself, with no previous biases or hostility toward the industry.

Blaise disclosed that CCC just submitted its reply to IPI’s opposition to CCC’s dispositive motion brief and that the arbitrator has until hopefully March 10, 2023, to make his decision.

“Basically, we are having him [arbitrator] make a finding of the arbitrarily of each of the five claims. So hopefully within the next couple of weeks we’ll have a decision,” said Blaise during the board’s regular monthly meeting at the Springs Plaza Building in Gualo Rai.

DeLeon Guerrero presided over the board’s monthly meeting held in the CCC’s conference room at the Springs Plaza Building. CCC’s office has been temporarily closed starting Jan. 19, 2023, due to lack of funds.

Access to the meeting via videoconference was not available because of lack of internet services and the termination of all CCC staff, including executive director Andrew Yeom.

Aside from DeLeon Guerrero, present at the meeting were vice chair Rafael S. Demapan and commissioners Ramon M. Dela Cruz, Mariano Taitano, and Martin T. Mendiola.

Mendiola joined the meeting online. Former CCC staff Ruth Ann P. Sakisat volunteered as secretary to assist the commissioners in the meeting.

DeLeon Guerrero said the commissioners are still mandated by law and by its own regulation to meet at least once a month.

The chairman said he asked all board members to just meet and that they are not talking about payday and are just talking about doing a regulatory mandate.

He said they will then figure out what to do as they are in the middle of litigations and arbitration with IPI.

“It’s not a good time to throw in the towel and walk away. For some, it’s the easiest way to do that. …Enough of this stuff, move on. For us, we’re in the middle of battle,” DeLeon Guerrero said.

He said it is never recommended anywhere in the world to walk away in the middle of a battle.

The chairman underscored the need to enforce collection of funds from IPI that is due based on the casino license agreement.

“So this is for the Commonwealth. This is an effort to collect revenues for the retirees. This is an effort to generate revenue,” DeLeon Guerrero said.

He said they have always attempted to make sure that they do the right thing.

Regardless of all the criticism leveled against CCC, DeLeon Guerrero said they are still maintaining focus and doing what is proper and right.

He said that, once an open and honest discussion is held with Palacios, Apatang, and lawmakers, then maybe there is hope that this casino industry can have a brighter future and it can be done.