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IPI wishes to expand operations
Targets villas to be finished in early 2018
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Posted on Jul 21 2017
Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC plans to “expand operations” in the CNMI by focusing on the construction of its restaurant, villas, and even a second floor gaming room.
“We have shifted our focus to the villas so that we can expand our operations,” one of the IPI representatives told the Commonwealth Casino Commission yesterday.
The representatives also indicated that they were having trouble with manpower, and that they were only limited to about 500 construction workers.
Despite this, the representatives disclosed that their target date to finish the hotel’s 15 villas is the end of January 2018, while their target date to finish their restaurant is by the end of August this year. The “full-fledged restaurant” will be named “Chairman M.”
Without indicating a target date, IPI hopes to finish the second floor of the casino before completion of “Chairman M.”
IPI’s main problem is the lack of construction manpower. It is considering hiring construction workers directly by utilizing the H-2 visa category.
According to CCC executive director Edward Deleon Guerrero, once construction work on the 15 villas is completed, they would all be operational. Past amendments allowed the construction of the Imperial Pacific Resort to be completed in phases before being fully functional.
CCC to meet with new Senate committee
Deleon Guerrero said yesterday that the casino commission would be meeting on Aug. 1, 2017 with the newly formed Senate Gaming Committee, chaired by Sen. Justo Quitugua (Ind-Saipan).
“We have been requested by the chairman to appear before the [committee] on Aug. 1,” said Deleon Guerrero.
He believes the meeting is more of an introduction of the brand new committee to the regulatory body, “to share information” and get updates on the gaming industry altogether.
According to Deleon Guerrero, the commission will use that opportunity to ask the committee’s help “with some of our proposed legislative changes to Public Law 18-56”—the law that deals with fees and initial investment, and disposition of gross revenue tax revenue from the fees generated from the exclusive gaming license.
