Tinian mayor still off-island

Tinian Mayor Jose P. San Nicolas has been off-island for three weeks now and says that he will have “good news” on Monday.

“Wait for Monday. I’ll have some good news to say,” said San Nicolas when reached yesterday. He said he was in Manila.

He left for Manila on Nov. 6 or shortly after signing a memorandum declaring a state of emergency on Tinian over environmental problems relating to its open dumpsite.

At that time, the Mayor’s Office said that the mayor would be in Manila to inspect the Subic Bay breakwater in relation to another Tinian emergency—the damaged harbor.

Tinian acting chief executive officer Russel Long had said that the mayor would also look for possible funding sources while in Manila. Long said that the mayor would be back that weekend.

In a brief phone interview yesterday, San Nicolas said he was still in Manila.

He said he did not to go to Malaysia to join other Tinian leaders who were reportedly meeting with potential investors.

San Nicolas declined to give details of his extended stay in the Philippines.

“I’ll have something to say on Monday,” he reiterated.

“Everything is okay,” he said, when asked about his trip.

The local government is urgently looking for funding to repair its harbor and sanitary landfill. The landfill project requires some $2.3 million while the Tinian harbor needs $2.5 million.

San Nicolas declared over a month ago a state of emergency on the island, citing severe damage to the Tinian harbor and the collapsed water structures, which he said pose great risks to the public.

Citing the government’s failure to close the Tinian dumpsite in over eight years, he said this, too, is a disaster emergency.

He said the municipality has been warned by Commonwealth and federal officials of the dangers of the “above ground and below ground fires at the Tinian landfill, thereby resulting in the accumulation of carbon monoxide in the immediate surrounding areas.”

He said this has polluted the Barcinas Bay, a premier fishing and diving spot on the island.

Further, he said that the landfill, which is located adjacent to the Tinian Airport runway, has hampered aircraft landings due to fires.

The mayor said that the Federal Aviation Administration has already required the Commonwealth Ports Authority to close the landfill and relocate it away from the airport.

Under the emergency, the mayor can reprogram local funds and suspend procurement regulations to address the problems.