Tinian mayor backs proposed labor and immigration reform

Tinian Mayor Francisco Borja has expressed his support on the plans of House Speaker Benigno Fitial to reform labor and business laws of the CNMI.

While he agrees that the hiring moratorium should be lifted, Mr. Borja said some safety nets must be put in place to ensure its smooth implementation.

All employers, he said, should be mandated to recruit and train locals and U.S. citizens, not just garment manufacturers. An employer who does not take part in the local training should not be allowed to hire off-island workers for that position.

Mr. Borja believes that lifting the ban on the moratorium will spur economic activities and entice investors to come to the CNMI. The current laws in the CNMI discourages investors and ultimately deprives Tinian of economic development, he said.

According to the mayor, prospective investors are turned off by the requirements such as hiring of all workers locally and $100,000 cash deposit.

The Legislature, he said, must make the CNMI economy its priority and not put so much emphasis on the issues related to Washington and the federal takeover.

Should the U.S. officials continue to force the federalization of labor and immigration, Mr. Borja said the issue should be brought to court. “At least there, we will be seen fighting for our right to govern our own islands. Win or lose, the people will know that they were represented proudly. Right now, it just seems like we are laying down and taking the beating, folding at every threat that Washington dishes out,” he added.

So far, local officials in Tinian have not seen any benefits which the CNMI will get once the U.S. implements a federal takeover. On the planned federal takeover, Mr. Borja raised: “Will they increase CIP funding? Will they subsidize our government for our budgetary shortfalls? What do they plan to replace the garment factories with approximately 25 percent of our annual CNMI budget.? What do they plan to do to spur economic benefit.?”

Instead of pushing for a federal takeover, Mr. Borja asked all Legislators to support the movement to streamline and reform labor and business laws.

“We owe it to the businesses. We owe it to the people and we owe it to ourselves. We owe nothing to the U.S.,” he said.