Don’t blame IT&E

The CNMI’s Finance Secretary suggested the other day that the CNMI government should seek damages from IT&E, the local telecom carrier. This is for harm suffered by the government as a result of interruption in local telecom/Internet services. The Secretary should realize that the interruption in the CNMI telecom/Internet service was caused by the two typhoons (Chan-hom and Nang-ka) that passed by the CNMI recently. To require IT&E to compensate the CNMI government for damages caused by the storms would be very unfair. There is also no basis for justification. Let me explain why.

IT&E did not cause the damage suffered from the telecom/Internet service interruption. It was caused by the typhoons, which damaged the underwater fiber optic cable. None of us, including IT&E, has any control over natural disasters. IT&E was a major victim of the typhoons. The storms caused the damage to the fiber optic cable, which in turn caused the service interruption. It was not caused by IT&E. For the CNMI government to now seek compensation from IT&E for damages suffered by the government as a result of the telecom/Internet service interruption caused by the typhoons would add insult to the injury already suffered by IT&E from the damage to its underwater fiber optic cable.

Instead of seeking damages from IT&E, it seems to me that the CNMI government should be doing something constructive to assist the company as it tries its very best to fix the underwater cable and restore telecom/Internet service to the CNMI. IT&E has already lost a lot from the damage caused by the storms. Further, many of us know that IT&E is one of our premier corporate citizens. We conveniently forget that over the years since IT&E took over the local interisland telecom services, it has actively and generously participated in all kinds of civic and charitable activities for the people of the CNMI. Seeking damages now from a company victimized by recent typhoons is a wrong approach to making the CNMI business-friendly.

We have seen our leaders, on many occasions, quick to blame others for something that is beyond their control. Many times our leaders fail to fully consider the consequences of their statements. On many occasions, we have seen them react by the “seat of their pants.” This is so embarrassing because our leaders were elected (or appointed) to lead and guide us. But instead of doing so, they react without offering any meaningful solutions to the problems that the people of the CNMI are facing.

Had the natural disaster that happened last week been an earthquake (and not a typhoon), where many buildings and structures in the CNMI are destroyed or damaged and where telecom/Internet services are also compromised, I’m quite certain that the CNMI government would not be seeking damages from IT&E. It is, therefore, very unfortunate that IT&E was a major victim of the typhoons that passed by last week. For the Finance Secretary to now suggest that IT&E should be required to compensate the CNMI government and every CNMI citizen is grossly unfair and without basis. It would be like the CNMI government and every CNMI citizen, after every typhoon, asking the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. to compensate all of us for interruption in power and water services. But we don’t ask CUC to compensate us, because we know that CUC cannot be faulted for the damage caused by a natural disaster, whether earthquake or typhoon.

To our leaders, I plead with you please think before you talk.
En fin Serafin!

Alexandro “Colonel” Sablan
Dandan, Saipan