Babauta: Tourism in still NMI’s bread and butter

Former governor Juan N. Babauta said that people want to see a more transparent government and that people want to have a government that is more accountable. (Ferdie De La Torre)

Former governor Juan N. Babauta said that people want to see a more transparent government and that people want to have a government that is more accountable.

Babauta and former education commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan filed their candidacies as independent candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, before the Commonwealth Election Commission Monday morning. The election will take place on Nov. 6.

Babauta said there is a growing concern—generally across the board—about the financial viability of the casino industry here.

“There’s a lot of concerns being said and talked about in the community about non-payment of wages, the contractors having difficulties being paid, vendors being paid, payroll being met,” he said.

Babauta said these are the kinds of concerns that are widely known throughout the community.

“We just want to ascertain the long term financial viability of the industry,” he said.

If elected, Babauta said, he and Dr. Sablan want to address those concerns and work with the industry to see how they can help out.

Babauta said that tourism is still the CNMI’s No. 1 industry and that it should remain the centerpiece of economic development here in the CNMI.

“Tourism is our bread and butter,” he said, disclosing that their plan is to work on a better quality tourism industry. He said they want to bring quality tourists here. “Quality as opposed to quantity,” said Babauta, adding that he has always been an advocate of bringing in quality tourists.

“We want to promote the CNMI as a quality product, making and turning our key tourist sites better sites to visit, promote it as a better quality product in terms of the overall quality for our tourists to come and visit and enjoy,” he said.

Dr. Sablan said she is running because she and Babauta want to work for the CNMI. Sablan said they have walked the villages and talked to many people and that they’ve seen the kind of change that people are asking for.

“It is something that we all need to do. Go out there and see what the people are really talking about,” she said.

Foremost in her desire to run, Sablan said, is desire of people wanting to see change in their community.

Sablan said that, as Babauta had stated, they are looking to make sure that this government is really for the people and by the people. “It’s not just that we’re making decisions for ourselves, but for the people and by the people and with the people,” she said.