Dela Cruz: Casino is water under the bridge for me

Acting House speaker Franciso S. Dela Cruz, one of the seven representatives who voted no to a casino on Saipan, said all the questions about who gets the casino license and what company is picked over the other is now beyond him.

“It’s water under the bridge for me,” said Dela Cruz (Ind-Saipan) in an interview last week regarding the Lottery Commission’s unanimous decision to grant a conditional casino license to Best Sunshine International Ltd.

The acting speaker said he did not vote for any of the casino legislations because he feels that the people of Saipan and the Northern Islands should be given an opportunity to vote on this monumental issue by referendum.

He said when all three legislations about casino were passed, he had nothing to do with it because he always voted “no.”

The acting Speaker said whatever the decision is, he would respect that.

Dela Cruz said that during the last session they had, he enumerated some of the things that might happen in the future and that is based on what is happening now. He cited the unsolved murders of the two Chinese couple who were killed in San Vicente and in As Gonno.

In the San Vicente incident that occurred in December 2012, a couple that had just dropped off their child at school were tied and shot inside their own home.

In the As Gonno case that happened last February, Dela Cruz said he believes that the couple were tied in their house and burned to the ground.

“This may be a sign of what the future holds for us,” he said.

He stressed the fact that there really has not been a study at all if the Department of Public Safety is capable to handle these types of crimes in the future.

“Is our infrastructure enough? The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. for example. Is there enough water, enough power to go with this development?” he asked.

He also mentioned the social ills that a casino may bring to the island.

On the issue of retirees’ deferred 25-percent pension, Dela Cruz said all the retirees were there during the session and he told them point blank that there is no question that the 25 percent should be restored back to them.

“I’m just as willing as the next person next to me to give them the 25 percent today if we have the funding,” he said.

Dela Cruz said he told the retirees that this legislation is not about the 25 percent, but about the casino that Saipan is going to have.

“That’s the biggest issue that I see. The 25 percent, I understand, is very important, but at the expense…,” he added.