Flashback April 23, 1999-2002

[B]APRIL 23, 1999

OSHA: No sweatshops on Saipan[/B]

There are no sweatshops on Saipan, according to OSHA officials and administrators. Region IV OSHA administrators offered to SGMA Executive Director Richard A. Pierce, this assessment at a closing conference for United International Corporation, and after concluding a large portion of the first baseline study of the CNMI Garment industry since 1996.

[B]CNMI to lobby vs. imposition of tariff[/B]

Worried over a proposal seeking to strip the CNMI of duty free privilege, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday said his administration will lobby against such move in the US Congress because of its disastrous impact on the island economy largely dependent on the garment industry. US Congressmen Bob Franks (R-NJ) and John Dingell (R-Michigan) have sponsored a legislation that seeks to impose tariffs on finished garment products coming from the islands, as well as forbid the use of “Made in USA” labels on locally-produced apparel.

[B]Prison contract signed[/B]

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, along with representatives from various government agencies, has signed two contracts to renovate and build a minimum security facility and to plan a new main prison for Saipan. The $530,000 12-month contract was awarded to Lichtman & Associates as planners of the new Saipan prison facility. The New Jersey-based firm is scheduled to make four trips to the island with the first visit slated for mid-May, according to Andrew Smith of the Department of Public Works.

[B]APRIL 23, 2001

NMHC’s loan program benefits 126 families[/B]

The Northern Marianas Housing Corporation over the weekend announced that it is persistently providing assistance to the public with respect to mortgage servicing. Under the NMHC-MPLT Loan Program, NMHC was able to accommodate a total of 126 recipients with a total aggregate amount of $8,581,59.20, according to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio.
[B] Teno hoping for a deal on 3-yr. limit stay law[/B]

Governor Pedro P. Tenorio on Friday expressed optimism the Senate and the House of Representatives will reach a compromise agreement that will put to rest controversies surrounding the three-year stay limit law. Tenorio said legislators should recognize the local economy’s heavy dependence on nonresident workers, pointing out that an exodus will only aggravate economic conditions in the CNMI.

[B]Senate to hold own inquiry on CUC debt[/B]

The Senate will hold separate independent inquiry on the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation’s outstanding loan from the Commonwealth Development Authority to shed light on the issue of breach of fiduciary responsibilities. Senate Vice President Thomas P. Villagomez said regardless of the invitation extended by House Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation and Communication Chair Rosiky Camacho to attend the CUC-CDA inquiry today, the Senate will still conduct its own investigation to determine the culpability of the utility corporation.

[B]APRIL 23, 2002

CPA courting Philippine Airlines back[/B]

The Commonwealth Ports Authority will formalize negotiations with Philippine Airlines executives next month, in line with plans to reinstate nonstop Manila-Saipan flights previously provided by the carrier. CPA Executive Director Carlos H. Salas yesterday disclosed that he is scheduled to meet with PAL officials next month to thresh out concerns raised during a discussion between the CNMI and the Philippine delegations two months back.

[B]Envoys’ summit to focus on trade, tourism[/B]

Preparations for the first-ever Consuls General Summit Conference, which will be held on Saipan in May, kicked off yesterday with a free-wheeling discussion between the Babauta administration and the consuls general of Japan, the Philippines and Palau on issues ranging from delayed Authorization To Board documents to enhanced tourism promotion efforts. Gov. Juan N. Babauta said he would soon be naming members to a committee that would work with the consuls general in threshing out the logistics of the summit, which would be attended by diplomats from, among others, the Philippines, Japan, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Australia and South Korea.

[B]CUC, DEQ, USGS team up to abate water crisis[/B]

As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration disclosed the onset of El Nino around the world, the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation said it will work with the U.S. Geological Service and the Division of Environmental Quality in tapping new well sites to abate a water crisis. CUC Executive Director Bernard P. Villagomez said this amid statements issued by USGS hydrologist Robert Carruth that drought may occur in the Northern Marianas as a weather impact of El Nino, which was projected to mature in the coming months.