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Best Sunshine hands $10M check to CUC
Residents now have $635.71 credited to their CUC accounts
Best Sunshine Int. Ltd. handed Friday a $10 million ceremonial check to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. at the Office of the Governor, making good on a promise to assist Saipan residents with their utility bills.
During the check presentation, Best Sunshine senior vice president Jacqueline Wu told Lt. Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider that the amount is Best Sunshine’s contribution to the community.
“We are happy to present the check to CUC and we are thankful to be a part of the CNMI and contribute to them,” Wu said.
Hofschneider said he was grateful that Best Sunshine is generous and kind enough to contribute to the residents for their utility because power cost in the CNMI is high and it would help the community a lot in paying for their bills.
The donation was made as part of Best Sunshine’s “Community Chest” initiative.
CUC executive director Alan Fletcher said that residential customers will get their voucher assistance through an electronic credit process that will be added to their account.
Under CUC’s credit-voucher program, Saipan residents now have $635.71 credited to each of their accounts.
Fletcher told Saipan Tribune that the $635.71 doesn’t need to be used one time; it’s up to the residents under the program. The residents can pay and still have their credit if they want to save it.
All active CUC residential accounts and inactive residential accounts with a service location and meter on residential property as of Oct. 10, 2014, are qualified.
However, eligibility is on an account basis only and not directed to individual persons. It has no cash value and not redeemable for cash or services or any other benefits, and not transferable.
The credit-voucher eligibility decisions are non-disputable under the billing dispute provisions of CUC’s regulations.
All unused voucher credits will expire on Oct. 31, 2015.
“Residential account holders can check their November billing for the credit amount applied to the utility bill,” Fletcher said.
This $10 million utility assistance was promised by Best Sunshine as part of its Community Benefit Fund. The company had vowed to release the funds 60 days after it was issued an exclusive license to build a casino resort on Saipan. The license was issued on Aug. 12.
Best Sunshine has also promised to provide $20 million, within 60 days after starting the construction of the casino, that will go to education, scholarships, infrastructure, health care, and employee retirement benefits.
