Report on official meeting with Kilili

After several attempts to meet with Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan through letters and phone calls, Congressman Sablan finally agreed to meet with representatives of the Northern Marianas Descent Corporation on July 3, 2014. At its regular meeting on July 1, 2014, the NMDC members requested the NMDC president, Herman R. Guerrero, to invite Congressman Sablan to meet with the membership before he returned to Washington, D.C. following his participation in the State of the Commonwealth Address of Gov. Eloy S. Inos. There are issues in Congressman Sablan’s statements at SOCA that persons of Northern Marianas decent wanted to discuss and get clarification from the delegate and also to create a dialogue with Congressman Sablan.

The NMDC membership were disappointed that Congressman Sablan’s secretary said that the congressman did not want to meet with the NMDC membership but instead the congressman wanted to meet with Guerrero first and the membership later. Guerrero, however, insisted to have other NMDs besides himself in that meeting. The delegate agreed only after he was given the names of each person in NMDC who will join president Guerrero. The following members accompanied president Guerrero: Jose H. Salas, Roxanne P. Diaz, Jesus M. Castro, Joseph M. Pangelinan, and Lino Olopai.

Areas covered at the meeting include CNMI House Resolution 18-34 sent to Vice President Biden and U.S. House Speaker Boehner opposing Section 2109 of U.S. Senate bill S.744 which Sablan worked to be included in S.744 (pathway to U.S. citizenship to over 14,000 foreign workers in the CNMI), submerged land ownership, and military planned use of the island.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan declared at the SOCA and at the meeting with the NMDC representatives that the CNMI House Resolution 18-34 was full of mistakes.

When asked what and how the mistakes were determined, he replied that he based his information from the Congressional Research to which he referred the CNMI House Resolution 18-34 for analysis. So NMDC president Herman R. Guerrero and other representatives asked the congressman for a copy of such analysis for verification, review, and record keeping purposes but the congressman refused, citing a congressman’s proprietary and privileged information of such report. But NMDC disagreed because such information was publicly narrated by the delegate in a public forum such a SOCA yet he refused to share the information that is not restricted by the federal Privacy Act—a one-sided position/argument by the delegate.

The overall atmosphere of the meeting was a bit tense and the NMDC representatives generally felt that it was a difficult experience to engage in a conversation of substance and compromise with the delegate.

The NMDC representatives shared opinions and observations after the meeting that Delegate Sablan was generally uncooperative, stubborn, and defensive of his actions and decisions that will imperil the rights and interest of the CNMI indigenous people. The NMDC representatives also felt that the delegate has a mindset that, by the authority of his office as a U.S. congressman, he alone decides what is best for the people of the CNMI and a presumption that a compelling need to consult with the constituency for input and/or approval is of lesser importance as he is already representing their interest in the U.S. Congress. This would include major issues such as military planned use of the islands in the CNMI, submerged land ownership, long-term immigration status of foreign labor, and federal “territorial clause” treatment of the CNMI. NMDC now feels that a working relationship and dialogue with Congressman Sablan may not be possible due to the delegate’s uncompromising attitude.

His amendment, Section 2109, included in S. 744 is still in the U.S. House Representatives. Congressman Sablan can take this opportunity now to meet with other CNMI elected leaders and his constituents to discuss and ambiguity and answer any question regarding his plans to grant an improved status and a pathway to U.S. citizenship to over 14,000 foreign workers. There is already skepticism amongst foreign workers and their families that Sablan’s immigration improved status plan may not materialize as earlier promised and may not help them at all because S. 744 is a comprehensive, complex, and controversial piece of immigration legislation. Congressman Sablan needs to explain further the legal ramifications of his own immigration bill and other improved status measures that he supports that violate certain provisions of the Covenant Agreement such as Article 1: Political relationship, and Sections 101, 102, 103, 104, 105.

NMDC wants to work with Delegate Sablan on issues of grave importance to persons of Northern Marianas descent to the extent that the delegate advocates and shares the aspirations of the NMDs but such is absent in Sablan’s agenda now and in the future.

Although this meeting was not fruitful, the NMDC members are still optimistic that work with the CNMI Delegate’s Office will continue in the future with the hope that the individual who holds that position in the future will advocate the goals and aspirations of the CNMI indigenous people and respect the Covenant Agreement.

Northern Marianas Descent Corporation