‘More experts to train Customs’

Division of Customs Services director Jose C. Mafnas, left, and Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho are shown during yesterday’s training for customs officers at the Northern Marianas College. (Jon Perez)

Division of Customs Services director Jose C. Mafnas said more experts from the Oceania Customs Organization will visit the CNMI to assist in training and updating of their personnel. OCO operations manager Tevita Tupuo was on Saipan last week to conduct a weeklong seminar for Customs officers and cadets.

Mafnas said the series of trainings would help them when it comes to guarding the borders, especially with Saipan experiencing renewed economic activity. “Our objective now is to provide more training for our officers. We are seeing a lot of economic activity that’s happening now. We already know that with an increase in flights, and visitor and cargo arrivals as evidence.

“This is a great opportunity for the CNMI’s economy and its people. But it also comes with a challenge, especially for us at the frontline. And this training addresses a lot of customs matters, from border management and revenue collection, to integrity and leadership.”

The CNMI being a member of OCO—composed of 24 countries in Oceania including Australia, New Zealand, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau—allows the Commonwealth to avail of trainings by customs experts from its head office in Suva, Fiji.

“OCO can send their experts to train and help our officers since we are an OCO member. This won’t be the last since Mr. Tevita [Tupuo] has already sent emails to Australia and New Zealand for their other experts to help us. We want to focus now on financial investigation and intelligence gathering.”

Mafnas said several trainings will be held before the year ends and more will take place in the future. “We have experts coming here to train our officers. Training will be one of the main focus of our agency so we can increase our revenues and awareness of our officers. There’s a lot of things that’s to be absorbed by our officers.”

Tupuo also presented the Customs officers with certificates for completing the training. He said, after his presentation last Friday at the Kanoa Resort, that OCO’s biggest challenge is undetected crimes—like money laundering, and drug and human trafficking—that are taking place in the region.

The CNMI, Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, French Polynesia, Tonga, New Caledonia, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Wallis and Futuna, Palau, Timor Leste, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, FSM, Tuvalu, and Cook Islands are OCO members.