Teno defends CNMI vs criticisms

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio said he has informed Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) of the labor and immigration reforms being implemented by his administration in an apparent bid to calm worries of the U.S. senator on the working conditions in the CNMI.

But he also expressed hope that the ranking member of the U.S. Senate would support the Northern Marianas, as he described Harkin as “open- minded.”

Tenorio met for two hours with Harkin before departing for Indonesia last Wednesday night. The senator was on island for a few hours to meet federal and local officials as well as tour garment factories on Saipan.

In an interview with reporters prior to his meeting with the governor, Harkin said he was concerned about working conditions here and that CNMI and Washington should work together to address this “very serious problem.”

According to Tenorio, he told the senator that his administration has started reforms to deal with these problems.

“It’s been an ongoing problem and there are some concerns. Of course, we are also concerned on some of the issues that we have over here,” the local chief executive said yesterday when asked what he discussed with Harkin.

“We mentioned during our short meeting that there are some legislation that we passed to resolve some of the issues,” added Tenorio.

He said he would meet with him in Washington D.C. when he attends congressional hearings next month as Harkin had invited the island leader to further discuss these issues.

“I will provide some of the information, like what we have been doing in the past few months to alleviate or correct some of the deficiencies or concerns that he might have,” he explained.

Harkin, who visited the island for the first time, drew praise from the CNMI officials despite the short stay here, which was part of his Asian tour.

“He’s very open and he came with an open mind. I appreciate that he came over to see for himself. our situation,” Tenorio said, adding he hopes the senator would pursue his intention to improve bilateral relations between the Commonwealth and the federal government.

“My administration’s position has always been to work closely with federal agencies here in the CNMI,” he pointed out.

Senate President Paul A. Manglona also expressed gratitude that he checked out the conditions here, noting that he could relay his findings to other members of the Congress.

“He seems to be a very fair person, open-minded and he’s listening to both sides of the issue,” he said in a separate interview. “I believe that the senator will look into what’s going on in the CNMI and I think that he will be fair with us.”

Harkin is a ranking minority member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, while he also sits as member of the committees on Appropriations, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

He disclosed that he has yet to decide whether to support pending legislation that will strip CNMI authority over local minimum wage, immigration and custom laws.

The island government has been trying to block these takeover proposals, lobbying support from key members of the Congress. “(Harkin) is a high-ranking member of the Senate and we need all friends we can get in Washington,” Manglona said.