Rota petitions BOG, IT&E

The people of Rota deserve equal quality customer service, according to resident Denise Tanya King. 

King, who was instrumental in the replacement of a broken Bank of Guam ATM in the southern island’s Songsong village, created an online petition last week requesting the bank to install an ATM at the island’s most populated village, Sinapalo. 

Through the power of social media, King has made several Facebook posts about the issue and garnered 230 signatures for her online petition within 36 hours.

“The majority of the population lives in Sinapalo and it only makes wise business sense to have the machine located there,” she told Saipan Tribune.

Hundreds of Rota residents and off-island supporters have endorsed King’s movement, saying they are “plainly sick and tired of receiving dirty seconds.”

In an interview, King said she will be submitting the petition to Bank of Guam by the end of this week. 

In another more recent post on social media, King called on IT&E to improve its services in the southern island. 

“The server on Rota cannot accommodate our [Public School System] students, postsecondary online college students, and community members,” King said. “Due to a shortage of teachers on Rota, most, if not all, of our students are taking classes online.”

King noted that there is no institution of higher learning on island, which has resulted in many people taking online college courses to receive their degree. 

“Our teachers even take certification courses to maintain their professional certification,” she added.

Because of an insufficient server, she said, teachers and students frequently miss deadlines and submit late assignments.

“This causes unnecessary frustration and stress. This does not even take in account people on Rota who have Internet and must wait for hours for connectivity.”

King said that students must be a priority and hopes that the telecommunications company prioritizes them as well.

“We pay the same rates as Saipan and Guam and expect the same service,” she said.

An IT&E representative contacted King yesterday requesting for more information so he could inform the company’s chief executive officer of the concern. 

One resident, who requested for anonymity, said she supports King and her efforts because “all we want is to improve the quality of life of our long ignored and oppressed people on Rota.”