ESGR present awards at ‘Lunch with the Boss’ event

Recipient of the Patriot Award, Kun Sik Choi, second from left, who was nominated by Jenny Pineda, center, is joined by CNMI Committee area chair Dr. Rita Sablan, left, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve chair Rey Llaneta, second right, and ESGR vice chair Benny Paulino, right. (Photos by LEIGH GASES)

Five Patriot Awards and one Seven Seals Award were presented last Thursday at the Guam-CNMI Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve State Committee Lunch with the Boss event at the Azucena Room of the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.

The five awardees for the Patriot Award were Ferdinand Mallari from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, nominated by Hendricks Daniel; IT&E’s Clarinda Besong, who was nominated by Gerald De Guzman; CNMI Public School System’s Jackie Quitugua, who was nominated by Jonas Barcinas; A.A. Enterprises Inc.’s Kun Sik Choi, nominated by Jenny Pineda; and James Sablan from DanDan Middle School, nominated by Luis Macaranas.

The Patriot Award is presented to employers who have shown extraordinary support to their employees who serve in the U.S. National Guard and Reserve.

James Kennedy Benjamin, Family Readiness Support assistant for the Family Programs Office at the 9th Mission Support Command, received the Seven Seals Award.

Benjamin said he was surprised to have been chosen for the award. “It is an honor to have been chosen by the local committee,” he said. “As a former service member, I understand how important it is to have good working relations with an employer. ESGR has continued to help employers understand the rights of service members when they are called to active duty and when they return.”

The Seven Seals Award is presented in recognition of a significant individual for organizational achievement, initiative, or support that promotes and supports the ESGR mission.

Before the awarding, U.S. Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Mark Siekman, commanding general for the 9th Mission Support Command, said that he came out here because of the several hundred soldiers and families that live in the CNMI and Guam.

“The ESGR does wonderful work for soldiers and for their families, and I felt it was extremely important for me to come out and thank them for that,” Siekman said, adding that the U.S. military and the ESGR “have a strong dialogue and a very good relationship.”

The recipient of the Seven Seals Award is James Kennedy Benjamin, third from right, Family Readiness Support assistant for the Family Programs Office at the 9th Mission Support Command. He is joined by his wife, Kiki, third left; CNMI Committee area chair Dr. Rita Sablan, left; civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army Mike Sablan, second left’ Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve chair Rey Llaneta, second right, and ESGR vice chair Benny Paulino, right.

Joann Aquino, CNMI ombudsman representative of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, talks about the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Acts during the Lunch with the Boss by Guam-CNMI ESGR State Committee Thursday afternoon at the Azucena Room of the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.

At the Guam-CNMI Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve State Committee Lunch with the Boss event, five Patriot Awards and one Seven Seals Award were presented Thursday at the Azucena Room of the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan. In this photo, the five Patriot Award recipients’ representatives, seated, along with James Kennedy Benjamin, seated center, recipient of the Seven Seals Award, are joined by Guam-CNMI ESGR volunteers including Dr. Rita Sablan, seated left, and ESGR vice chair retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benny Paulino, seated, right.

Lunch with the Boss event participants, which include awardees of the Guam-CNMI Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve State Committee Patriot and Seven Seals Award, are seen at the Azucena Room of the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan Thursday afternoon.

From left, Rose Igitol, employer outreach representative for the CNMI; Joann Aquino, CNMI ombudsman representative; Mike Sablan, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army; Dr. Rita Sablan, CNMI Committee area chair; Vince Calvo, ESGR volunteer from Rota; and Joshlyn Blas, employer outreach representative for the CNMI, pose for a photo at the Lunch with the Boss event of the Guam-CNMI Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve State Committee.

Patriot awardee James Sablan, principal of DanDan Middle School, nominated by Luis Macaranas, was not present and was represented by vice principal Reo Arriola, center, and was joined by CNMI Committee area chair Dr. Rita Sablan, left, ESGR chair Rey Llaneta, second right, and ESGR vice chair Benny Paulino, right.

Patriot awardee Jackie Quitugua of the CNMI Public School System, who was nominated by Jonas Barcinas, second left, was not present and was represented by Asapmar Ogumoro, center, and was joined by CNMI Committee area chair Dr. Rita Sablan, left, ESGR chair Rey Llaneta, second right, and ESGR vice chair Benny Paulino, right.

Patriot awardee Clarinda Besong of IT&E, center, who was nominated by Gerald De Guzman, second left, is joined by CNMI Committee area chair Dr. Rita Sablan, left, ESGR chair Rey Llaneta, second right, and ESGR vice chair Benny Paulino, right.

Patriot awardee Ferdinand Mallari from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who was nominated by Hendricks Daniel, were both not present. Mallari was represented by his son, Vaughn, center, and Daniel was represented by SFC Tanya Songsong Diaz, second left. They are joined by CNMI Committee area chair Dr. Rita Sablan, left; ESGR chair Rey Llaneta, second right, and ESGR vice chair Benny Paulino, right.

Dr. Rita Sablan, who is the CNMI Committee area chair, said that Thursday’s event was intended to honor and thanks the continued collaboration and teamwork in supporting all employers that support the Guard and Reserves.

It was also meant to advocate for the ESGR mission of developing and promoting supportive work environments for service members in the Reserve components through outreach, recognition, and educational opportunities that increase awareness of applicable laws.

Also at the event, Joann Aquino, who is the CNMI ombudsman representative, gave a presentation on the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or USERRA, which is a federal law passed in 1994 that protects military service members and veterans from employment discrimination on the basis of their service, and allows them to regain their civilian jobs following a period of uniformed service.

After the event, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. and ESGR chair Rey Llaneta, said he was happy with the turnout and that it was great interaction between the employers and ESGR.

Besides Siekman, Sablan, Aquino, Llaneta, and the awardees, others in attendance were retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benny Paulino and ESGR vice chairman; Norma Castillon, U.S. Army veteran and ESGR Guam volunteer; Rose Igitol and Joshlyn Blas, employer outreach representatives for the CNMI; ESGR volunteer from Rota, Vince Calvo; Mike Sablan, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army; Angel Vibar, ESGR volunteer support technician; as well as other ESGR volunteers and guests.

ESGR is a U.S. Department of Defense program that develops and promotes supportive work environments for service members in the National Guard and Reserve. ESGR also provides assistance in resolving conflicts between service members and their employers.

On Friday, a fiscal year 2023 Annual Planning Training and Integration Meeting, or APTIM, took place at the same location of the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.