FLASHBACK – October 14, 2011

‘Press NMI’s edge as training site'[/B]

With realistic military training being hampered by cultural, geographic and political issues in Okinawa, Japan, now would be a perfect time to highlight the advantages that the Commonwealth can offer to the U.S. military in terms of giving them ideal training sites. This was stressed by Special Assistant for Veterans and Military Affairs Frank G. Cepeda, who told Gov. Juan N. Babauta that, with the present set-up of the military in the CNMI, all contribute to an environment where the military could easily assemble and arrange for the many training missions it needs. Cepeda said that during a recent trip to Japan with some House of Representatives lawmakers, they found out that the U.S. military in Okinawa is having a difficult time in training their soldiers.

The use of scuba tanks when fishing within the lagoon and coastal waters of Tinian and Aguiguan is now a prohibited activity. This comes soon after Gov. Juan N. Babauta signed into law a local bill that prohibits the use of scuba tanks and such related devices among commercial and non-commercial fishermen when fishing for reef fish and harvesting other marine life within the lagoon and coastal waters of the two islands. The measure, Senate Local Bill 13-4, goes into the books as Tinian Local Law 13-1. The measure was first passed by the Tinian Legislative Delegation on August 13.

Lawmaker to push for bill vs Columbus Day holiday[/B]

While most of the Commonwealth observed a nonworking holiday to commemorate navigator Christopher Columbus’ landing in the Americas, a lawmaker expressed intent yesterday to revive legislation that would remove Columbus Day as an official Commonwealth holiday. Sen. Pete P. Reyes, who has assumed the Senate presidency, is proposing to do away with Columbus Day to replace it with the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day every January. Senate Bill 13-117, which Reyes introduced last year, is pending in the Judicial, Government and Law Committee chaired by Sen. Thomas P. Villagomez. “It’s a good time to revisit that,” Reyes said yesterday.

No one knows exactly what will happen in 2005, when all quotas imposed on apparel between members of the World Trade Organization will be eliminated; but with a more open global economy, it’s a foregone conclusion that retailers will be able to search the world for the best price, highest quality, fastest delivery, and most flexibility. In an effort to protect their garment industries, the governments of the Philippines and India are taking action. According to a Bear Stearns Equity Research report released in September 2003, India, a country known for its highly skilled workforce, is gearing up to compete: the Indian government has set aside $2.5 billion to help its factories modernize and increase production capacity.

CNMI finally gets China’s ADS[/B]

The CNMI finally got what it wanted: approved destination status from the People’s Republic of China. “We’ve got it! This is absolutely great news for the CNMI. It will enhance the tourism industry,” said Gov. Juan N. Babauta in an interview. The governor disclosed that he received a letter Saturday from PROC’s National Tourism Administration informing him about the granting of the status to the Commonwealth. “It’s nearly one year after you first wrote to my chairman [He Guanghei]. Now, I am honored to inform you that the State Council [of PROC] has approved to grant the status to your Commonwealth,” said CNTA director-general for marketing and communications department Shen Huirong in a letter to Babauta.

After hours of deliberation, the Senate unanimously voted yesterday to amend the House-adopted budget resolution and raised its level from $212.651 million to $217.751 million for fiscal year 2005. This came about after the Babauta administration submitted to the Legislature yesterday documents identifying $5.1 million in additional funds for 2005. The additional amount would come from the projected revenues from two recently enacted laws: some $2.1 million from Public Law 14-28 or the tax amnesty law and at least $3 million from P.L. 14-35 or the CNMI Revenue and Taxation Code.